Daughter of Glory, child
Of Earth's Dione a
mild,
By the Father of all, the Ęgis-bearing King! b
Spouse, daughter, mother of God,
Queen of the blest c
abode
In Cyprus' d
splendour singly glittering.
Sweet sister unto me,
I cry aloud to thee!
I laugh upon thee laughing, O dew caught up from the sea!
Draw by sharp sparrow and dove
And swan's wide plumes of love,
And all the swallow's swifter vehemence, e
And subtler than the Sphinx f
The ineffable iynx a
Heralds thy splendour swooning into sense,
When from the bluest bowers
And greenest-hearted hours
Of Heaven thou smilest toward earth, a miracle of flowers!
Down to the loveless sea
Where lay Persephone b
Violate, where the shade of earth is black,
Crystalline out of space
Flames the immortal face!
The glory of the comet-tailčd track
Blinds all black earth with
tears.
Silence awakes and hears
The music of thy moving come over the starry spheres.
Wrapped in rose, green and gold,
Blues many and manifold,
A cloud of incense hides thy splendour of light;
Hides from the prayer's distress
Thy loftier loveliness
Till thy veil's glory shrouds the earth from night;
And silence speaks indeed,
Seeing the subtler speed
Of its own thought than speech of the Bandean reed! c
There no voice may be heard!
No place for any word!
The heart's whole fervour d
silently speeds to thee,
Immaculate! a
and craves
Thy kisses or the grave's,
Till, knowing its unworthiness to woo thee,
Remembers, grows content
With the old element,
And asks the lowlier grace its earlier music meant.
So Lady of all power!
Kindle this firstling flower
The rainbow nymph above the waterfall
Into a mortal shade
Of thee, immortal maid,
That in her love I gather and recall
Some memory mighty and mute
In love's poor substitute
Of thee, thy Love too high, the impossible pursuit!