The little green leaves would not let me alone in my sleep;Up-breathed from the marshes, a message of range and of sweep,Interwoven with waftures of wild sea-liberties, drifting,Came through the lapped leaves sifting, sifting,Came to the gates of sleep.Then my thoughts, in the dark of the dungeon-keepOf the Castle of Captives hid in the City…
Dear friend, forgive a wild lamentInsanely following thy flight.I would not cumber thine ascentNor drag thee back into the night;But the great sea-winds sigh with me,The fair-faced stars seem wrinkled, old,And I would that I might lie with theeThere in the grave so cold, so cold!Grave walls are thick, I cannot see thee,And the round…
Trillets of humor, — shrewdest whistle-wit, —Contralto cadences of grave desireSuch as from off the passionate Indian pyreDrift down through sandal-odored flames that splitAbout the slim young widow who doth sitAnd sing above, — midnights of tone entire, —Tissues of moonlight shot with songs of fire; —Bright drops of tune, from oceans infiniteOf melody, sipped…
Towards Macon, to git some baggin’(Which my cotton was ready to bale),And I come to a place on the side o’ the pikeWhar a peert little winter branch jest had throw’dThe sand in a kind of a sand-bar like,And I seed, a leetle ways up the road,A man squattin’ down, like a big bull-toad,On the…
And he lived pretty much by gittin’ of loans,And his mules was nuthin’ but skin and bones,And his hogs was flat as his corn-bread pones,And he had ’bout a thousand acres o’ land.This man — which his name it was also Jones —He swore that he’d leave them old red hills and stones,Fur he couldn’t…
Amazed that any heavens couldDecree to part us, bitterly repining.My Love, in aimless love and grief,Reached forth and drew aside a leafThat just above us played the thiefAnd stole our starlight that for us was shining.A star that had remarked her painShone straightway down that leafy lane,And wrought his image, mirror-plain,Within a tear that on…
‘I saw a sky of stars that rolled in grime.All glory twinkled through some sweat of fight,From each tall chimney of the roaring timeThat shot his fire far up the sooty nightMixt fuels — Labor’s Right and Labor’s Crime —Sent upward throb on throb of scarlet lightTill huge hot blushes in the heavens blentWith golden…
But, — guerdon rich for favor rare!The wind hath all thy holy hairTo kiss and to sing through and to flareLike torch-flames in the passionate air,About thee, O Miranda.Eyes in a blaze, eyes in a daze,Bold with love, cold with amaze,Chaste-thrilling eyes, fast-filling eyesWith daintiest tears of love’s surprise,Ye draw my soul unto your blueAs…
Haste, Dawes! but haste thee not, O Sun!To Lexington.Then Devens looked and saw the light:He got him forth into the night,And watched alone on the river-shore,And marked the British ferrying o’er.John Parker! rub thine eyes and yawn:But one o’clock and yet ’tis Dawn!Quick, rub thine eyes and draw thy hose:The Morning comes ere darkness goes,Have…
The drear sand-levels drain my spirit low.With one poor word they tell me all they know;Whereat their stupid tongues, to tease my pain,Do drawl it o’er again and o’er again.They hurt my heart with griefs I cannot name:Always the same, the same.Nature hath no surprise,No ambuscade of beauty ‘gainst mine eyesFrom brake or lurking dell…
