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Poems

A Slant of Sun on Dull Brown Walls Read Poem

A slant of sun on dull brown walls,
A forgotten sky of bashful blue.

Toward God a mighty hymn,
A song of collisions and cries,
Rumbling wheels, hoof-beats, bells,
Welcomes, farewells, love-calls, final moans,
Voices of joy, idiocy, warning, despair,
The unknown appeals of brutes,
The chanting of flowers,
The screams of cut trees,
The senseless babble of hens and wise men —
A cluttered incoherency that says at the stars:
"O God, save us!"

A god in wrath Read Poem

A god in wrath
Was beating a man;
He cuffed him loudly
With thunderous blows
That rang and rolled over the earth.

All people came running.

The man screamed and struggled,
And bit madly at the feet of the god.

The people cried,
"Ah, what a wicked man!"
And —
"Ah, what a redoubtable god!"

A learned man came to me once Read Poem

A learned man came to me once.

He said, "I know the way, — come.

"
And I was overjoyed at this.

Together we hastened.

Soon, too soon, were we
Where my eyes were useless,
And I knew not the ways of my feet.

I clung to the hand of my friend;
But at last he cried, "I am lost.

"

A Little Ink More Or Less! Read Poem

A little ink more or less!
I surely can't matter?

Even the sky and the opulent sea,
The plains and the hills, aloof,
Hear the uproar of all these books.

But it is only a little ink more or less.

What?

You define me God with these trinkets?

Can my misery meal on an ordered walking
Of surpliced numskulls?

And a fanfare of lights?

Or even upon the measured pulpitings
Of the familiar false and true?

Is this God?

Where, then, is hell?

Show me some bastard mushroom
Sprung from a pollution of blood.

It is better.

Where is God?

A man feared that he might find an assassin Read Poem

A man feared that he might find an assassin;
Another that he might find a victim.

One was more wise than the other.

A man said to the universe: Read Poem

A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.

"

A man saw a ball of gold in the sky; Read Poem

A man saw a ball of gold in the sky;
He climbed for it,
And eventually he achieved it —
It was clay.

Now this is the strange part:
When the man went to the earth
And looked again,
Lo, there was the ball of gold.

Now this is the strange part:
It was a ball of gold.

Aye, by the heavens, it was a ball of gold.

A man toiled on a burning road Read Poem

A man toiled on a burning road,
Never resting.

Once he saw a fat, stupid ass
Grinning at him from a green place.

The man cried out in rage,
"Ah! Do not deride me, fool!
I know you —
All day stuffing your belly,
Burying your heart
In grass and tender sprouts:
It will not suffice you.

"
But the ass only grinned at him from the green place.

A man went before a strange God Read Poem

A man went before a strange God —
The God of many men, sadly wise.

And the deity thundered loudly,
Fat with rage, and puffing.

"Kneel, mortal, and cringe
And grovel and do homage
To My Particularly Sublime Majesty.

"
The man fled.

Then the man went to another God —
The God of his inner thoughts.

And this one looked at him
With soft eyes
Lit with infinite comprehension,
And said, "My poor child!"

A newspaper is a collection of half-injustices Read Poem

A newspaper is a collection of half-injustices
Which, bawled by boys from mile to mile,
Spreads its curious opinion
To a million merciful and sneering men,
While families cuddle the joys of the fireside
When spurred by tale of dire lone agony.

A newspaper is a court
Where every one is kindly and unfairly tried
By a squalor of honest men.

A newspaper is a market
Where wisdom sells its freedom
And melons are crowned by the crowd.

A newspaper is a game
Where his error scores the player victory
While another's skill wins death.

A newspaper is a symbol;
It is feckless life's chronicle,
A collection of loud tales
Concentrating eternal stupidities,
That in remote ages lived unhaltered,
Roaming through a fenceless world.

A spirit sped Read Poem

A spirit sped
Through spaces of night;
And as he sped, he called,
"God! God!"
He went through valleys
Of black death-slime,
Ever calling,
"God! God!"
Their echoes
From crevice and cavern
Mocked him:
"God! God! God!"
Fleetly into the plains of space
He went, ever calling,
"God! God!"
Eventually, then, he screamed,
Mad in denial,
"Ah, there is no God!"
A swift hand,
A sword from the sky,
Smote him,
And he was dead.

Ancestry Read Poem

ONCE I saw mountains angry,
And ranged in battle-front.

Against them stood a little man;
Ay, he was no bigger than my finger.

I laughed, and spoke to one near me,
“Will he prevail?

”
“Surely,” replied this other;
“His grandfathers beat them many times.

”
Then did I see much virtue in grandfathers,—
At least, for the little man
Who stood against the mountains.

And you love me Read Poem

And you love me
I love you.

You are, then, cold coward.

Aye; but, beloved,
When I strive to come to you,
Man's opinions, a thousand thickets,
My interwoven existence,
My life,
Caught in the stubble of the world
Like a tender veil —
This stays me.

No strange move can I make
Without noise of tearing
I dare not.

If love loves,
There is no world
Nor word.

All is lost
Save thought of love
And place to dream.

You love me?

I love you.

You are, then, cold coward.

Aye; but, beloved —

Ay, workman, make me a dream Read Poem

Ay, workman, make me a dream,
A dream for my love.

Cunningly weave sunlight,
Breezes, and flowers.

Let it be of the cloth of meadows.

And — good workman —
And let there be a man walking thereon.

Behold, from the land of the farther suns Read Poem

Behold, from the land of the farther suns
I returned.

And I was in a reptile-swarming place,
Peopled, otherwise, with grimaces,
Shrouded above in black impenetrableness.

I shrank, loathing,
Sick with it.

And I said to him,
"What is this?

"
He made answer slowly,
"Spirit, this is a world;
This was your home.

"

Black Waves Read Poem

I explain the silvered passing of a ship at night,
The sweep of each sad lost wave,
The dwindling boom of the steel thing's striving,
The little cry of a man to a man,
A shadow falling across the greyer night,
And the sinking of the small star;
Then the waste, the far waste of waters,
And the soft lashing of the black waves
For long and in loneliness.

Blustering God, Read Poem

i
Blustering God,
Stamping across the sky
With loud swagger,
I fear You not.

No, though from Your highest heaven
You plunge Your spear at my heart,
I fear You not.

No, not if the blow
Is as the lightning blasting a tree,
I fear You not, puffing braggart.

ii
If Thou canst see into my heart
That I fear Thee not,
Thou wilt see why I fear Thee not,
And why it is right.

So threaten not, Thou, with Thy bloody spears,
Else Thy sublime ears shall hear curses.

iii
Withal, there is One whom I fear:
I fear to see grief upon that face.

Perchance, friend, He is not your God;
If so, spit upon Him.

By it you will do no profanity.

But I —
Ah, sooner would I die
Than see tears in those eyes of my soul.

Charity thou art a lie Read Poem

Charity thou art a lie,
A toy of women,
A pleasure of certain men.

In the presence of justice,
Lo, the walls of the temple
Are visible
Through thy form of sudden shadows.

Content Read Poem

A youth in apparel that glittered
Went to walk in a grim forest.

There he met an assassin
Attired all in garb of old days;
He, scowling through the thickets,
And dagger poised quivering,
Rushed upon the youth.

"Sir," said this latter,
"I am enchanted, believe me,
To die, thus,
In this medieval fashion,
According to the best legends;
Ah, what joy!"
Then took he the wound, smiling,
And died, content.

Each Small Gleam Was a Voice Read Poem

Each small gleam was a voice,
A lantern voice —
In little songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

A chorus of colours came over the water;
The wondrous leaf-shadow no longer wavered,
No pines crooned on the hills,
The blue night was elsewhere a silence,
When the chorus of colours came over the water,
Little songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

Small glowing pebbles
Thrown on the dark plane of evening
Sing good ballads of God
And eternity, with soul's rest.

Little priests, little holy fathers,
None can doubt the truth of your hymning,
When the marvellous chorus comes over the water,
Songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

Fast rode the knight Read Poem

Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knight,
And leaped from saddle to war.

Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.

A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.

Forth went the candid man Read Poem

Forth went the candid man
And spoke freely to the wind —
When he looked about him he was in a far strange country.

Forth went the candid man
And spoke freely to the stars —
Yellow light tore sight from his eyes.

"My good fool," said a learned bystander,
"Your operations are mad.

"
"You are too candid," cried the candid man,
And when his stick left the head of the learned bystander
It was two sticks.

Friend, Your White Beard Sweeps The Ground Read Poem

Friend, your white beard sweeps the ground.

Why do you stand, expectant?

Do you hope to see it
In one of your withered days?

With your old eyes
Do you hope to see
The triumphal march of justice?

Do not wait, friend!
Take your white beard
And your old eyes
To more tender lands.

From: War Is Kind Read Poem

Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind.

Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky
And the affrighted steed ran on alone,
Do not weep.

War is kind.

Hoarse, booming drums of the regiment,
Little souls who thirst for fight,
These men were born to drill and die.

The unexplained glory flies above them,
Great is the battle-god, great, and his kingdom —
A field where a thousand corpses lie.

Do not weep, babe, for war is kind.

Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches,
Raged at his breast, gulped and died,
Do not weep.

War is kind.

Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.

Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.

Mother whose heart hung humble as a button
On the bright splendid shroud of your son,
Do not weep.

War is kind.

God Fashioned the Ship of the World Read Poem

God fashioned the ship of the world carefully.

With the infinite skill of an All-Master
Made He the hull and the sails,
Held He the rudder
Ready for adjustment.

Erect stood He, scanning His work proudly.

Then — at fateful time — a wrong called,
And God turned, heeding.

Lo, the ship, at this opportunity, slipped slyly,
Making cunning noiseless travel down the ways.

So that, forever rudderless, it went upon the seas
Going ridiculous voyages,
Making quaint progress,
Turning as with serious purpose
Before stupid winds.

And there were many in the sky
Who laughed at this thing.

God lay dead in heaven; Read Poem

God lay dead in heaven;
Angels sang the hymn of the end;
Purple winds went moaning,
Their wings drip-dripping
With blood
That fell upon the earth.

It, groaning thing,
Turned black and sank.

Then from the far caverns
Of dead sins
Came monsters, livid with desire.

They fought,
Wrangled over the world,
A morsel.

But of all sadness this was sad —
A woman's arms tried to shield
The head of a sleeping man
From the jaws of the final beast.

Have you ever made a just man? Read Poem

"Have you ever made a just man?

"
"Oh, I have made three," answered God,
"But two of them are dead,
And the third —
Listen! Listen!
And you will hear the thud of his defeat.

"

I Explain Read Poem

I explain the silvered passing of a ship at night,
The sweep of each sad lost wave,
The dwindling boom of the steel thing's striving,
The little cry of a man to a man,
A shadow falling across the greyer night,
And the sinking of the small star;
Then the waste, the far waste of waters,
And the soft lashing of black waves
For long and in loneliness.

Remember, thou, O ship of love,
Thou leavest a far waste of waters,
And the soft lashing of black waves
For long and in loneliness.

I have heard the sunset song of the birches Read Poem

"I have heard the sunset song of the birches,
A white melody in the silence,
I have seen a quarrel of the pines.

At nightfall
The little grasses have rushed by me
With the wind men.

These things have I lived," quoth the maniac,
"Possessing only eyes and ears.

But you —
You don green spectacles before you look at roses.

"

I heard thee laugh Read Poem

I HEARD thee laugh,
And in this merriment
I defined the measure of my pain;
I knew that I was alone,
Alone with love,
Poor shivering love,
And he, little sprite,
Came to watch with me,
And at midnight
We were like two creatures by a dead camp-fire.

I looked here Read Poem

I looked here;
I looked there;
Nowhere could I see my love.

And — this time —
She was in my heart.

Truly, then, I have no complaint,
For though she be fair and fairer,
She is none so fair as she
In my heart.

I Met a Seer Read Poem

I met a seer.

He held in his hands
The book of wisdom.

"Sir," I addressed him,
"Let me read.

"
"Child — " he began.

"Sir," I said,
"Think not that I am a child,
For already I know much
Of that which you hold.

Aye, much.

"
He smiled.

Then he opened the book
And held it before me.

—
Strange that I should have grown so suddenly blind.

I saw a man pursuing the horizon Read Poem

I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.

I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.

"It is futile," I said,
"You can never — "
"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.

I Stood Musing in a Black World Read Poem

I stood musing in a black world,
Not knowing where to direct my feet.

And I saw the quick stream of men
Pouring ceaselessly,
Filled with eager faces,
A torrent of desire.

I called to them,
"Where do you go?

What do you see?

"
A thousand voices called to me.

A thousand fingers pointed.

"Look! look! There!"
I know not of it.

But, lo! In the far sky shone a radiance
Ineffable, divine —
A vision painted upon a pall;
And sometimes it was,
And sometimes it was not.

I hesitated.

Then from the stream
Came roaring voices,
Impatient:
"Look! look! There!"
So again I saw,
And leaped, unhesitant,
And struggled and fumed
With outspread clutching fingers.

The hard hills tore my flesh;
The ways bit my feet.

At last I looked again.

No radiance in the far sky,
Ineffable, divine;
No vision painted upon a pall;
And always my eyes ached for the light.

Then I cried in despair,
"I see nothing! Oh, where do I go?

"
The torrent turned again its faces:
"Look! look! There!"
And at the blindness of my spirit
They screamed,
"Fool! fool! fool!"

I stood upon a high place Read Poem

I stood upon a high place,
And saw, below, many devils
Running, leaping,
and carousing in sin.

One looked up, grinning,
And said, "Comrade! Brother!"

I Stood Upon a Highway Read Poem

I stood upon a highway,
And, behold, there came
Many strange peddlers.

To me each one made gestures,
Holding forth little images, saying,
"This is my pattern of God.

Now this is the God I prefer.

"
But I said, "Hence!
Leave me with mine own,
And take you yours away;
I can't buy of your patterns of God,
The little gods you may rightly prefer.

"

I walked in a desert Read Poem

I walked in a desert.

And I cried,
"Ah, God, take me from this place!"
A voice said, "It is no desert.

"
I cried, "Well, But —
The sand, the heat, the vacant horizon.

"
A voice said, "It is no desert.

"

I was in the darkness; Read Poem

I was in the darkness;
I could not see my words
Nor the wishes of my heart.

Then suddenly there was a great light —
"Let me into the darkness again.

"

If I should cast off this tattered coat, Read Poem

If I should cast off this tattered coat,
And go free into the mighty sky;
If I should find nothing there
But a vast blue,
Echoless, ignorant —
What then?

If there is a witness to my little life Read Poem

If there is a witness to my little life,
To my tiny throes and struggles,
He sees a fool;
And it is not fine for gods to menace fools.

In a lonely place Read Poem

In a lonely place,
I encountered a sage
Who sat, all still,
Regarding a newspaper.

He accosted me:
"Sir, what is this?

"
Then I saw that I was greater,
Aye, greater than this sage.

I answered him at once,
"Old, old man, it is the wisdom of the age.

"
The sage looked upon me with admiration.

In the desert Read Poem

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.

I said, "Is it good, friend?

"
"It is bitter — bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.

"

Intrigue Read Poem

THOU art my love
And thou art the peace of sundown
When the blue shadows soothe
And the grasses and the leaves sleep
To the song of the little brooks
Woe is me.

Thou art my love,
And thou art a storm
That breaks black in the sky
And, sweeping headlong,
Drenches and cowers each tree
And at the panting end
There is no sound
Save the melancholy cry of a single owl
Woe is me!
Thou art my love
And thou art a tinsel thing
And I in my play
Broke thee easily
And from the little fragments
Arose my long sorrow
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art a weary violet
Drooping from sun-caresses.

Answering mine carelessly
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art the ashes of other men's love
And I bury my face in these ashes
And I love them
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art the beard
On another man's face
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art a temple
And in this temple is an altar
And on this altar is my heart
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art a wretch.

Let these sacred love-lies choke thee
For I am come to where I know your lies as truth
And your truth as lies
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art a priestess
And in thy hand is a bloody dagger
And my doom comes to me surely
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art a skull with ruby eyes
And I love thee
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And I doubt thee
And if peace came with my murder
Then would I murder
Woe is me.

Thou art my love
And thou art death
Aye, thou art death
Black and yet black
But I love thee
I love thee
Woe, welcome woe, to me.

It was wrong to do this, said the angel Read Poem

"It was wrong to do this," said the angel.

"You should live like a flower,
Holding malice like a puppy,
Waging war like a lambkin.

"
"Not so," quoth the man
Who had no fear of spirits;
"It is only wrong for angels
Who can live like the flowers,
Holding malice like the puppies,
Waging war like the lambkins.

"

Legends Read Poem

I
A MAN builded a bugle for the storms to blow.

The focused winds hurled him afar.

He said that the instrument was a failure.

II
When the suicide arrived at the sky, the people there asked him: "Why?

"
He replied: "Because no one admired me.

"
III
A man said: "Thou tree!"
The tree answered with the same scorn: "Thou man!
Thou art greater than I only in thy possibilities.

"
IV
A warrior stood upon a peak and defied the stars.

A little magpie, happening there, desired the soldier's plume, and so plucked it.

V
The wind that waves the blossoms sang, sang, sang from age to age.

The flowers were made curious by this joy.

"Oh, wind," they said, "why sing you at your labour, while we, pink beneficiaries, sing not, but idle, idle, idle from age to age?

"

Little Birds of the Night Read Poem

LITTLE birds of the night
Aye, they have much to tell
Perching there in rows
Blinking at me with their serious eyes
Recounting of flowers they have seen and loved
Of meadows and groves of the distance
And pale sands at the foot of the sea
And breezes that fly in the leaves.

They are vast in experience
These little birds that come in the night

Love walked alone Read Poem

Love walked alone.

The rocks cut her tender feet,
And the brambles tore her fair limbs.

There came a companion to her,
But, alas, he was no help,
For his name was heart's pain.

.

Many red devils ran from my heart Read Poem

Many red devils ran from my heart
And out upon the page,
They were so tiny
The pen could mash them.

And many struggled in the ink.

It was strange
To write in this red muck
Of things from my heart.

Many workmen Read Poem

Many workmen
Built a huge ball of masonry
Upon a mountain-top.

Then they went to the valley below,
And turned to behold their work.

"It is grand," they said;
They loved the thing.

Of a sudden, it moved:
It came upon them swiftly;
It crushed them all to blood.

But some had opportunity to squeal.

My Cross! Read Poem

Your cross?

The real cross
Is made of pounds,
Dollars or francs.

Here I bear my palms for the silly nails
To teach the lack
—The great pain of lack—
Of coin.

Mystic shadow Read Poem

Mystic shadow, bending near me,
Who art thou?

Whence come ye?

And — tell me — is it fair
Or is the truth bitter as eaten fire?

Tell me!
Fear not that I should quaver.

For I dare — I dare.

Then, tell me!

No Violets Read Poem

There was a land where lived no violets.

A traveller at once demanded : "Why?

"
The people told him:
"Once the violets of this place spoke thus:
'Until some woman freely gives her lover
To another woman
We will fight in bloody scuffle.

'"
Sadly the people added:
"There are no violets here.

"

On the desert Read Poem

On the desert
A silence from the moon's deepest valley.

Fire rays fall athwart the robes
Of hooded men, squat and dumb.

Before them, a woman
Moves to the blowing of shrill whistles
And distant thunder of drums,
While mystic things, sinuous, dull with terrible colour,
Sleepily fondle her body
Or move at her will, swishing stealthily over the sand.

The snakes whisper softly;
The whispering, whispering snakes,
Dreaming and swaying and staring,
But always whispering, softly whispering.

The wind streams from the lone reaches
Of Arabia, solemn with night,
And the wild fire makes shimmer of blood
Over the robes of the hooded men
Squat and dumb.

Bands of moving bronze, emerald, yellow,
Circle the throat and the arms of her,
And over the sands serpents move warily
Slow, menacing and submissive,
Swinging to the whistles and drums,
The whispering, whispering snakes,
Dreaming and swaying and staring,
But always whispering, softly whispering.

The dignity of the accursed;
The glory of slavery, despair, death,
Is in the dance of the whispering snakes.

On the horizon the peaks assembled Read Poem

On the horizon the peaks assembled;
And as I looked,
The march of the mountains began.

As they marched, they sang,
"Aye! We come! We come!"

Once a man clambering to the housetops Read Poem

Once a man clambering to the housetops
Appealed to the heavens.

With strong voice he called to the deaf spheres;
A warrior's shout he raised to the suns.

Lo, at last, there was a dot on the clouds,
And — at last and at last —
— God — the sky was filled with armies.

Once there came a man Read Poem

Once there came a man
Who said,
"Range me all men of the world in rows.

"
And instantly
There was terrific clamour among the people
Against being ranged in rows.

There was a loud quarrel, world-wide.

It endured for ages;
And blood was shed
By those who would not stand in rows,
And by those who pined to stand in rows.

Eventually, the man went to death, weeping.

And those who staid in bloody scuffle
Knew not the great simplicity.

Once there was a man Read Poem

Once there was a man —
Oh, so wise!
In all drink
He detected the bitter,
And in all touch
He found the sting.

At last he cried thus:
"There is nothing —
No life,
No joy,
No pain —
There is nothing save opinion,
And opinion be damned.

"

Places among the stars, Read Poem

Places among the stars,
Soft gardens near the sun,
Keep your distant beauty;
Shed no beams upon my weak heart.

Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Not your golden days
Nor your silver nights
Can call me to you.

Since she is here
In a place of blackness,
Here I stay and wait

Should the wide world roll away Read Poem

Should the wide world roll away
Leaving black terror
Limitless night,
Nor God, nor man, nor place to stand
Would be to me essential
If thou and thy white arms were there
And the fall to doom a long way.

Supposing that I should have the courage Read Poem

Supposing that I should have the courage
To let a red sword of virtue
Plunge into my heart,
Letting to the weeds of the ground
My sinful blood,
What can you offer me?

A gardened castle?

A flowery kingdom?

What?

A hope?

Then hence with your red sword of virtue.

Tell Brave Deeds of War Read Poem

"Tell brave deeds of war.

"
Then they recounted tales, —
"There were stern stands
And bitter runs for glory.

"
Ah, I think there were braver deeds.

Tell Me Why Read Poem

TELL me why, behind thee,
I see always the shadow of another lover?

Is it real
Or is this the thrice-damned memory of a better happiness?

Plague on him if he be dead
Plague on him if he be alive
A swinish numbskull
To intrude his shade
Always between me and my peace.

The Black Riders Read Poem

Black riders came from the sea.

There was clang and clang of spear and shield,
And clash and clash of hoof and heel,
Wild shouts and the wave of hair
In the rush upon the wind:
Thus the ride of sin.

This is the title poem from Crane's Book The Black Riders and other lines (1895)

The chatter of a death-demon from a tree-top Read Poem

The chatter of a death-demon from a tree-top
Blood — blood and torn grass —
Had marked the rise of his agony —
This lone hunter.

The grey-green woods impassive
Had watched the threshing of his limbs.

A canoe with flashing paddle,
A girl with soft searching eyes,
A call: "John!"
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Come, arise, hunter!
Can you not hear?

The chatter of a death-demon from a tree-top.

The impact of a dollar upon the heart Read Poem

The impact of a dollar upon the heart
Smiles warm red light,
Sweeping from the hearth rosily upon the white table,
With the hanging cool velvet shadows
Moving softly upon the door.

The impact of a million dollars
Is a crash of flunkeys,
And yawning emblems of Persia
Cheeked against oak, France and a sabre,
The outcry of old beauty
Whored by pimping merchants
To submission before wine and chatter.

Silly rich peasants stamp the carpets of men,
Dead men who dreamed fragrance and light
Into their woof, their lives;
The rug of an honest bear
Under the feet of a cryptic slave
Who speaks always of baubles,
Forgetting state, multitude, work, and state,
Champing and mouthing of hats,
Making ratful squeak of hats,
Hats.

The livid lightnings flashed in the clouds Read Poem

The livid lightnings flashed in the clouds;
The leaden thunders crashed.

A worshipper raised his arm.

"Hearken! Hearken! The voice of God!"
"Not so," said a man.

"The voice of God whispers in the heart
So softly
That the soul pauses,
Making no noise,
And strives for these melodies,
Distant, sighing, like faintest breath,
And all the being is still to hear.

"

The Man Read Poem

Aman said to the universe,
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.

"

The ocean said to me once, Read Poem

The ocean said to me once,
"Look!
Yonder on the shore
Is a woman, weeping.

I have watched her.

Go you and tell her this —
Her lover I have laid
In cool green hall.

There is wealth of golden sand
And pillars, coral-red;
Two white fish stand guard at his bier.

"Tell her this
And more —
That the king of the seas
Weeps too, old, helpless man.

The bustling fates
Heap his hands with corpses
Until he stands like a child
With a surplus of toys.

"

The Peaks Read Poem

In the night
Grey heavy clouds muffled the valleys,
And the peaks looked toward God alone.

"O Master that movest the wind with a finger,
Humble, idle, futile peaks are we.

Grant that we may run swiftly across the world
To huddle in worship at Thy feet.

"
In the morning
A noise of men at work came the clear blue miles,
And the little black cities were apparent.

"O Master that knowest the meaning of raindrops,
Humble, idle, futile peaks are we.

Give voice to us, we pray, O Lord,
That we may sing Thy goodness to the sun.

"
In the evening
The far valleys were sprinkled with tiny lights.

"O Master,
Thou that knowest the value of kings and birds,
Thou hast made us humble, idle futile peaks.

Thou only needest eternal patience;
We bow to Thy wisdom, O Lord —
Humble, idle, futile peaks.

"
In the night
Grey heavy clouds muffled the valleys,
And the peaks looked toward God alone.

The sage lectured brilliantly Read Poem

The sage lectured brilliantly.

Before him, two images:
"Now this one is a devil,
And this one is me.

"
He turned away.

Then a cunning pupil
Changed the positions.

Turned the sage again:
"Now this one is a devil,
And this one is me.

"
The pupils sat, all grinning,
And rejoiced in the game.

But the sage was a sage.

The Sins of the Fathers Read Poem

"And the sins of the fathers shall be
visited upon the heads of the children,
even unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me.

"
Well, then I hate thee, unrighteous picture;
Wicked image, I hate thee;
So, strike with thy vengeance
The heads of those little men
Who come blindly.

It will be a brave thing.

The successful man has thrust himself Read Poem

The successful man has thrust himself
Through the water of the years,
Reeking wet with mistakes —
Bloody mistakes;
Slimed with victories over the lesser,
A figure thankful on the shore of money.

Then, with the bones of fools
He buys silken banners
Limned with his triumphant face;
With the skins of wise men
He buys the trivial bows of all.

Flesh painted with marrow
Contributes a coverlet,
A coverlet for his contented slumber.

In guiltless ignorance, in ignorant guilt,
He delivered his secrets to the riven multitude.

"Thus I defended: Thus I wrought.

"
Complacent, smiling,
He stands heavily on the dead.

Erect on a pillar of skulls
He declaims his trampling of babes;
Smirking, fat, dripping,
He makes speech in guiltless ignorance,
Innocence.

The Trees in the Garden Rained Flowers Read Poem

The trees in the garden rained flowers.

Children ran there joyously.

They gathered the flowers
Each to himself.

Now there were some
Who gathered great heaps —
Having opportunity and skill —
Until, behold, only chance blossoms
Remained for the feeble.

Then a little spindling tutor
Ran importantly to the father, crying:
"Pray, come hither!
See this unjust thing in your garden!"
But when the father had surveyed,
He admonished the tutor:
"Not so, small sage!
This thing is just.

For, look you,
Are not they who possess the flowers
Stronger, bolder, shrewder
Than they who have none?

Why should the strong —
The beautiful strong —
Why should they not have the flowers?

"
Upon reflection, the tutor bowed to the ground,
"My lord," he said,
"The stars are displaced
By this towering wisdom.

"

The way your little finger moved Read Poem

AH, God, the way your little finger moved
As you thrust a bare arm backward
And made play with your hair
And a comb a silly gilt comb
Ah, God—that I should suffer
Because of the way a little finger moved.

The Wayfarer Read Poem

The wayfarer,
Perceiving the pathway to truth,
Was struck with astonishment.

It was thickly grown with weeds.

"Ha," he said,
"I see that none has passed here
In a long time.

"
Later he saw that each weed
Was a singular knife.

"Well," he mumbled at last,
"Doubtless there are other roads.

"

There came whisperings in the winds Read Poem

There came whisperings in the winds:
"Good-bye! Good-bye!"
Little voices called in the darkness:
"Good-bye! Good-bye!"
Then I stretched forth my arms.

"No — no — "
There came whisperings in the wind
"Good-bye! Good-bye!"
Little voices called in the darkness:
"Good-bye! Good-bye!"

There was a great cathedral Read Poem

There was a great cathedral.

To solemn songs,
A white procession
Moved toward the altar.

The chief man there
Was erect, and bore himself proudly.

Yet some could see him cringe,
As in a place of danger,
Throwing frightened glances into the air,
A-start at threatening faces of the past.

There was a man and a woman Read Poem

i
There was a man and a woman
Who sinned.

Then did the man heap the punishment
All upon the head of her,
And went away gaily.

ii
There was a man and a woman
Who sinned.

And the man stood with her.

As upon her head, so upon his,
Fell blow and blow,
And all people screaming, "Fool!"
He was a brave heart.

iii
He was a brave heart.

Would you speak with him, friend?

Well, he is dead,
And there went your opportunity.

Let it be your grief
That he is dead
And your opportunity gone;
For, in that, you were a coward.

There was a man who lived a life of fire Read Poem

There was a man who lived a life of fire.

Even upon the fabric of time,
Where purple becomes orange
And orange purple,
This life glowed,
A dire red stain, indelible;
Yet when he was dead,
He saw that he had not lived.

There was a man with tongue of wood Read Poem

There was a man with tongue of wood
Who essayed to sing,
And in truth it was lamentable.

But there was one who heard
The clip-clapper of this tongue of wood
And knew what the man
Wished to sing,
And with that the singer was content.

There was crimson clash of war. Read Poem

There was crimson clash of war.

Lands turned black and bare;
Women wept;
Babes ran, wondering.

There came one who understood not these things.

He said, "Why is this?

"
Whereupon a million strove to answer him.

There was such intricate clamour of tongues,
That still the reason was not.

There was one I met upon the road Read Poem

There was one I met upon the road
Who looked at me with kind eyes.

He said, "Show me of your wares.

"
And this I did,
Holding forth one.

He said, "It is a sin.

"
Then held I forth another;
He said, "It is a sin.

"
Then held I forth another;
He said, "It is a sin.

"
And so to the end;
Always he said, "It is a sin.

"
And, finally, I cried out,
"But I have none other.

"
Then did he look at me
With kinder eyes.

"Poor soul!" he said.

There was set before me a mighty hill, Read Poem

There was set before me a mighty hill,
And long days I climbed
Through regions of snow.

When I had before me the summit-view,
It seemed that my labour
Had been to see gardens
Lying at impossible distances.

There was, before me, Read Poem

There was, before me,
Mile upon mile
Of snow, ice, burning sand.

And yet I could look beyond all this,
To a place of infinite beauty;
And I could see the loveliness of her
Who walked in the shade of the trees.

When I gazed,
All was lost
But this place of beauty and her.

When I gazed,
And in my gazing, desired,
Then came again
Mile upon mile,
Of snow, ice, burning sand.

There were many who went in huddled procession Read Poem

There were many who went in huddled procession,
They knew not whither;
But, at any rate, success or calamity
Would attend all in equality.

There was one who sought a new road.

He went into direful thickets,
And ultimately he died thus, alone;
But they said he had courage.

Think As I Think Read Poem

"Think as I think," said a man,
"Or you are abominably wicked;
You are a toad.

"
And after I had thought of it,
I said, "I will, then, be a toad.

"

Three little birds in a row Read Poem

Three little birds in a row
Sat musing.

A man passed near that place.

Then did the little birds nudge each other.

They said, "He thinks he can sing.

"
They threw back their heads to laugh.

With quaint countenances
They regarded him.

They were very curious,
Those three little birds in a row.

To the maiden Read Poem

To the maiden
The sea was blue meadow,
Alive with little froth-people
Singing.

To the sailor, wrecked,
The sea was dead grey walls
Superlative in vacancy,
Upon which nevertheless at fateful time
Was written
The grim hatred of nature.

Tradition, thou art for suckling children Read Poem

Tradition, thou art for suckling children,
Thou art the enlivening milk for babes;
But no meat for men is in thee.

Then —
But, alas, we all are babes.

Truth Read Poem

"Truth," said a traveller,
"Is a rock, a mighty fortress;
Often have I been to it,
Even to its highest tower,
From whence the world looks black.

"
"Truth," said a traveller,
"Is a breath, a wind,
A shadow, a phantom;
Long have I pursued it,
But never have I touched
The hem of its garment.

"
And I believed the second traveller;
For truth was to me
A breath, a wind,
A shadow, a phantom,
And never had I touched
The hem of its garment.

Two or three angels Read Poem

Two or three angels
Came near to the earth.

They saw a fat church.

Little black streams of people
Came and went in continually.

And the angels were puzzled
To know why the people went thus,
And why they stayed so long within.

Unwind my riddle Read Poem

UNWIND my riddle.

Cruel as hawks the hours fly;
Wounded men seldom come home to die;
The hard waves see an arm flung high;
Scorn hits strong because of a lie;
Yet there exists a mystic tie.

Unwind my riddle.

Upon the road of my life, Read Poem

Upon the road of my life,
Passed me many fair creatures,
Clothed all in white, and radiant.

To one, finally, I made speech:
"Who art thou?

"
But she, like the others,
Kept cowled her face,
And answered in haste, anxiously,
"I am good deed, forsooth;
You have often seen me.

"
"Not uncowled," I made reply.

And with rash and strong hand,
Though she resisted,
I drew away the veil
And gazed at the features of vanity.

She, shamefaced, went on;
And after I had mused a time,
I said of myself,
"Fool!"

Voices Read Poem

EACH small gleam was a voice
-A lantern voice-
In little songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

A chorus of colors came over the water;
The wondrous leaf-shadow no longer wavered,
No pines crooned on the hills
The blue night was elsewhere a silence
When the chorus of colors came over the water,
Little songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

Small glowing pebbles
Thrown on the dark plane of evening
Sing good ballads of God
And eternity, with soul's rest.

Little priests, little holy fathers
None can doubt the truth of your hymning
When the marvelous chorus comes over the water
Songs of carmine, violet, green, gold.

Walking in the sky, Read Poem

Walking in the sky,
A man in strange black garb
Encountered a radiant form.

Then his steps were eager;
Bowed he devoutly.

"My Lord," said he.

But the spirit knew him not.

What says the sea, little shell Read Poem

"What says the sea, little shell?

What says the sea?

Long has our brother been silent to us,
Kept his message for the ships,
Awkward ships, stupid ships.

"
"The sea bids you mourn, O Pines,
Sing low in the moonlight.

He sends tale of the land of doom,
Of place where endless falls
A rain of women's tears,
And men in grey robes —
Men in grey robes —
Chant the unknown pain.

"
"What says the sea, little shell?

What says the sea?

Long has our brother been silent to us,
Kept his message for the ships,
Puny ships, silly ships.

"
"The sea bids you teach, O Pines,
Sing low in the moonlight;
Teach the gold of patience,
Cry gospel of gentle hands,
Cry a brotherhood of hearts.

The sea bids you teach, O Pines.

"
"And where is the reward, little shell?

What says the sea?

Long has our brother been silent to us,
Kept his message for the ships,
Puny ships, silly ships.

"
"No word says the sea, O Pines,
No word says the sea.

Long will your brother be silent to you,
Keep his message for the ships,
O puny pines, silly pines.

"

When a people reach the top of a hill, Read Poem

When a people reach the top of a hill,
Then does God lean toward them,
Shortens tongues and lengthens arms.

A vision of their dead comes to the weak.

The moon shall not be too old
Before the new battalions rise,
Blue battalions.

The moon shall not be too old
When the children of change shall fall
Before the new battalions,
The blue battalions.

Mistakes and virtues will be trampled deep.

A church and a thief shall fall together.

A sword will come at the bidding of the eyeless,
The God-led, turning only to beckon,
Swinging a creed like a censer
At the head of the new battalions,
Blue battalions.

March the tools of nature's impulse,
Men born of wrong, men born of right,
Men of the new battalions,
The blue battalions.

The clang of swords is Thy wisdom,
The wounded make gestures like Thy Son's;
The feet of mad horses is one part —
Ay, another is the hand of a mother on the brow of a youth.

Then, swift as they charge through a shadow,
The men of the new battalions,
Blue battalions —
God lead them high, God lead them far,
God lead them far, God lead them high,
These new battalions,
The blue battalions.

When the prophet, a complacent fat man Read Poem

When the prophet, a complacent fat man,
Arrived at the mountain-top,
He cried: "Woe to my knowledge!
I intended to see good white lands
And bad black lands,
But the scene is grey.

"

Why do you strive for greatness, fool? Read Poem

Why do you strive for greatness, fool?

Go pluck a bough and wear it.

It is as sufficing.

My Lord, there are certain barbarians
Who tilt their noses
As if the stars were flowers,
And Thy servant is lost among their shoe-buckles.

Fain would I have mine eyes even with their eyes.

Fool, go pluck a bough and wear it.

Why? Read Poem

Behold, the grave of a wicked man,
And near it, a stern spirit.

There came a drooping maid with violets,
But the spirit grasped her arm.

"No flowers for him," he said.

The maid wept:
"Ah, I loved him.

"
But the spirit, grim and frowning:
"No flowers for him.

"
Now, this is it —
If the spirit was just,
Why did the maid weep?

With eye and with gesture Read Poem

With eye and with gesture
You say you are holy.

I say you lie;
For I did see you
Draw away your coats
From the sin upon the hands
Of a little child.

Liar!

Yes, I have a thousand tongues Read Poem

Yes, I have a thousand tongues,
And nine and ninety-nine lie.

Though I strive to use the one,
It will make no melody at my will,
But is dead in my mouth.

You say you are holy, Read Poem

You say you are holy,
And that
Because I have not seen you sin.

Aye, but there are those
Who see you sin, my friend.

You tell me this is God? Read Poem

You tell me this is God?

I tell you this is a printed list,
A burning candle, and an ass.

’Scaped Read Poem

Once, I knew a fine song,
— It is true, believe me —
It was all of birds,
And I held them in a basket;
When I opened the wicket,
Heavens! They all flew away.

I cried, "Come back, little thoughts!"
But they only laughed.

They flew on
Until they were as sand
Thrown between me and the sky.