Alfred Noyes

The Enchanted Island, and Other Poems Alfred Noyes

CONTENTS. MIST IN THE VALLEY . . . PAGE .1 A SONG OF THE PLOUGH , . . THE BANNER . . . . . RANK AND FILE . ... .. . . 6 9 IO THE SKY-LARK CAGED . THE LOVERS FLIGHT . . . . . . . 18 .21 THE ROCK POOL . ..... 26 THE ISLAND HAWK . . . . -32 THE ADMIRALS GHOST . . . . .41 EDINBURGH .... 47 IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE . . . . .48 AN EAST-END COFFEE-STALL . . . 52 RED OF THE DAWN . . . . -54 LAVENDER . . . THE DREAM-CHILDS INVITATION . . . . 58 .60 THE TRAMP TRANSFIGURED . . . -65 ON THE DOWNS . . 88 viii CONTENTS. 91 ... A MAY-DAY CAROL . . . THE CALL OF THE SPRING A DEVONSHIRE DITTY . BACCHUS AND THE PIRATES . . . . . . . . . -93 .96 -98 THE NEWSPAPER BOY . . . .112 THE TWO WORLDS . . . . . Il6 GORSE .......119 FOR THE EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY OF GEORGE MEREDITH 122 IN MEMORY OF SWINBURNE . . . .123 ON THE DEATH OF FRANCIS THOMPSON . .127 IN MEMORY OF MEREDITH . . . -131 A FRIEND OF CARLYLE . . . . .134 THE TESTIMONY OF ART. . . . .145 THE SCHOLARS ......146 RESURRECTION . . . . . -147 A JAPANESE LOVE-SONG . . . . .150 THE TWO PAINTERS . . . . J 53 THE ENCHANTED ISLAND . . . .167 UNITY . . . . . . .175 THE HILL-FLOWER . . . . -177 ACTION....... ISO LUCIFERS FEAST . . . . . .189 VETERANS ......2OO PROLOGUE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION OF DRAKE AN ENGLISH EPIC.....202 THE QUEST RENEWED .....207 THE LIGHTS OF HOME.....209 POEMS. MIST IN THE VALLEY. MIST in the valley, weeping mist Beset my homeward way. No gleam of rose or amethyst Hallowed the parting day A shroud, a shroud of awful gray i. Wrapped every woodland brow, And drooped in crumbling disarray Around each wintry bough. n. And closer round me now it clung Until I scarce could see The stealthy pathway over-hung By silent tree and tree A MIST IN THE VALLEY. Which floated in that mystery As poised in waveless deeps- Branching in worlds below the sea, The gray sea-forest sleeps. in. Mist in the valley, mist no less Within my groping mind The stile swam out a wilderness Rolled round it, gray and blind. A yard in front, a yard behind, So strait my world was grown, I stooped to win once more some kind Glimmer of twig or stone. IV. I crossed and lost the friendly stile And listened. Never a sound Came to me. Mile on mile on mile It seemed the world around Beneath some infinite sea lay drowned With all that eer drew breath Whilst I, alone, had strangely found A moments life in death. MIST IN THE VALLEY. v. A universe of lifeless gray Oppressed me overhead. Below, a yard of clinging clay With rotting foliage red Glimmered. The stillness of the dead, Hark was it broken now By the slow drip of tears that bled From hidden heart or bough. VI. Mist in the valley, mist no less That muffled every cry Across the souls gray wilderness Where faith lay down to die Buried beyond all hope was I, Hope had no meaning there A yard above my head the sky Could only mock at prayer. VII. Yet, though the corse of that dead God Were bowed across the way, Though, closer, closer, as I trod My path of clinging clay, r MIST IN THE VALLEY. All round me pressed the hideous gray Corruption, To quench the last faint struggling ray till it seemed That in my spirit gleamed, VIII. Een as I groped along, the gloom Suddenly shook at my feet O, strangely as from a rending tomb In resurrection, sweet Swift wings tumultuously beat Away I paused to hark O, birds of thought, too fair, too fleet To follow across the dark IX...