She mental breadth, nor fail in chila ward care,

Nor lose the childlike in the larger mind;

Till at the last she set herself to man, Like perfect music unto noble words: And so these twain, upon the skirts of Time.

Sit side by side, full-summed in all their powers,

Dispensing harvest, sowing the To-be, Self-reverent each and reverencing each,

Distinct in individualities,

But like each other even as those who love.

[From The Princess.]

CRADLE SONG.

SWEET and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low, low, breathe and blow,
Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and
blow,

Blow him again to me: While my little one, while my pretty one sleeps.

Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,

Father will come to thee soon: Rest, rest, on mother's breast,

Father will come to thee soon; Father will come to his babe in the nest,

Silver sails all out of the west

Under the silver moon:

Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep,

Ask me no more:

should I give ?

And I would be the necklace,
And all day long to fall and rise
Upon her balmy bosom,

With her laughter or her sighs,
And I would lie so light, so light,
I scarce should be unclasped at night.

[From Merlin and Vivien.]

NOT AT ALL, OR ALL IN ALL.

IN Love, if Love be Love, if Love be ours,

Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers;

Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.

It is the little rift within the lute, That by and by will make the music mute,

And ever widening slowly silence all.

The little rift within the lover's lute

Or little pitted speck in garnered fruit, That rotting inward, slowly moulders all.

It is not worth the keeping: let

it go:

But shall it ? answer, darling, answer,

no.

In babble and revel and wine.

young lord-lover, what sighs are those,

But mine, but mine," so I sware to

For one that will never be thine ?

the rose,

"Forever and ever, mine."

And the soul of the rose went into my blood,

As the music clashed in the hall; And long by the garden lake I stood, For I heard your rivulet fall From the lake to the meadow and on to the wood,

Our wood, that is dearer than all;

From the meadow your walks have left so sweet

That whenever a March wind sighs He sets the jewel-print of your feet In violets blue as your eyes, To the woody hollows in which we

meet

And the valleys of Paradise.

The slender acacia would not shake One long milk-bloom on the tree; The white lake-blossom fell into the lake,

As the pimpernel dozed on the lea; But the rose was awake all night for your sake,

Knowing your promise to me; The lilies and roses were all awake, They sighed for the dawn and thee.

Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls.

Come hither, the dances are done, In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,

Queen lily and rose in one; Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,

To the flowers, and be their sun.

There has fallen a splendid tear From the passion-flower at the gate. She is coming, my dove, my dear; She is coming, my life, my fate; The red rose cries, She is near, she is near;"

66

And the white rose weeps, late;"

"She is

The larkspur listens, "I hear, hear;"

And the lily whispers, "I wait."

She is coming, my own, my sweet;
Were it ever so airy a tread,
My heart would hear her, and beat,
Were it earth in an earthy bed.
My dust would hear her, and beat,

I

Had I lain for a century dead: Would start and tremble under her feet,

And blossom in purple and red.

[From Maud.]

GO NOT, HAPPY DAY.

Go not, happy day,

From the shining fields, Go not, happy day,

Till the maiden yields. Rosy is the West, Rosy is the South, Roses are her cheeks,

And a rose her mouth.

When the happy Yes
Falters from her lips,
Pass and blush the news
O'er the blowing ships,
Over blowing seas,

Over seas at rest,
Pass the happy news,

Blush it through the West, Till the red man dance By his red cedar-tree. And the red man's babe Leap, beyond the sea. Blush from West to East, Blush from East to West, Till the West is East, Blush it through the West. Rosy is the West,

Rosy is the South, Roses are her cheeks, And a rose her mouth.

THE DEATH OF THE OLD YEAR.

FULL knee-deep lies the winter snow, And the winter winds are wearily sighing:

Toll ye the church-bell sad and slow,
And tread softly and speak low,
For the old year lies a-dying.
Old year, you must not die:
You came to us so readily,
You lived with us so steadily,
Old year, you shall not die.

His face is growing sharp and thin.
Alack! our friend is gone.
Close up his eyes: tie up his chin:
Step from the corpse, and let him in
That standeth there alone,

And waiteth at the door.

There's a new foot on the floor, my friend,

And a new face at the door, my friend,

A new face at the door.

He lieth still; he doth not move;
He will not see the dawn of day.
He hath no other life above;
He gave me a friend, and a true, true-
And the new year will take 'em away.
Old year, you must not go:
So long as you have been with us,
Such joy as you have seen with us,
Old year, you shall not go.

He frothed his bumpers to the brim;
A jollier year we shall not see;
But though his eyes are waxing dim,
And though his foes speak ill of him,

He was a friend to me.

Old year; you shall not die:
We did so laugh and cry with you,
I've half a mind to die with you,
Old year, if you must die.

He was full of joke and jest,
But all his merry quips are o'er.
To see him die across the waste
His son and heir doth ride post-haste,
But he'll be dead before.

Every one for his own.

The night is starry and cold, my friend,

And the new year, blithe and bold, my friend,

Comes up to take his own.

How hard he breathes! over the snow
I heard just now the crowing cock.
The shadows flicker to and fro:
The cricket chirps: the light burns
low:

'Tis nearly twelve o'clock.

Shake hands before you die.
Old year, we'll dearly rue for you:
What is it we can do for you?
Speak out before you die.