No alien Tree for trysting-place;

And who can read, may read the sweet
Direction in his Lady's face.

And pass and pass the daily crowd,
Unwares, occulted Paradise;

Love the lost plot cries silver-loud,
Nor any know the tongue he cries.

The light is in the darkness, and
The darkness doth not comprehend:

God hath no haste; and God's sons stand
Yet a Day, tarrying for the end.

Dishonoured Rahab still hath hid,
Yea still, within her house of shame,

The messengers by Jesus bid
Forerun the coming of His Name.

The Word was flesh, and crucified,
From the beginning, and blasphemed:

Its profaned raiment men divide,
Damned by what, reverenced, had redeemed.

Thy Lady, was thy heart not blind,
One hour gave to thy witless trust

The key thou go'st about to find;
And thou hast dropped it in the dust.

Of her, the Way's one mortal grace,
Own, save thy seeing be all forgot,

That truly, God was in this place,
And thou, unbless-ed, knew'st it not.

But some have eyes, and will not see;
And some would see, and have not eyes;

And fail the tryst, yet find the Tree,
And take the lesson for the prize.

RETROSPECT.
Alas, and I have sung

Much song of matters vain,
And a heaven-sweetened tongue

Turned to unprofiting strain
Of vacant things, which though

Even so they be, and throughly so,
It is no boot at all for thee to know,

But babble and false pain.
What profit if the sun

Put forth his radiant thews,
And on his circuit run,

Even after my device, to this and to that use;
And the true Orient, Christ,

Make not His cloud of thee?
I have sung vanity,

And nothing well devised.
And though the cry of stars

Give tongue before his way
Goldenly as I say,

And each from wide Saturnus to hot Mars
He calleth by its name,

Lest that its bright feet stray;
And thou have lore of all,

But to thine own Sun's call
Thy path disorbed hast never wit to tame;

It profits not withal,
And my rede is but lame.

Only that, 'mid vain vaunt
Of wisdom ignorant,

A little kiss upon the feet of Love
My hasty verse has stayed

Sometimes a space to plant:
It has not wholly strayed,

Not wholly missed near sweet, fanning proud plumes above.
Therefore I do repent

That with religion vain,
And misconceiv-ed pain,

I have my music bent
To waste on bootless things its skiey-gendered rain:

Yet shall a wiser day
Fulfil more heavenly way,

And with approv-ed music clear this slip
I trust in God most sweet;

Meantime the silent lip,
Meantime the climbing feet.

A NARROW VESSEL.
Being a little dramaticsequence on the aspect of primitive girl-

nature
towards a love beyond its capacities.

A GIRL'S SIN.
I.--In her eyes.

Cross child! red, and frowning so?
'I, the day just over,

Gave a lock of hair to--no!
How DARE you say, my lover?'

He asked you?--Let me understand;
Come, child, let me sound it!

'Of course, he WOULD have asked it, and--
And so--somehow--he--found it.

'He told it out with great loud eyes--
Men have such little wit!

His sin I ever will chastise
Because I gave him it.

'Shameless in me the gift, alas!
In him his open bliss:

But for the privilege he has
A thousand he shall miss!

'His eyes, where once I dreadless laughed,
Call up a burning blot:

I hate him, for his shameful craft
That asked by asking not!'

Luckless boy! and all for hair
He never asked, you said?

'Not just--but then he gazed--I swear
He gazed it from my head!

'His silence on my cheek like breath
I felt in subtle way;

More sweet than aught another saith
Was what he did not say.

'He'll think me vanquished, for this lapse,
Who should be above him;

Perhaps he'll think me light; perhaps--
Perhaps he'll think I--love him!

'Are his eyes conscious and elate,
I hate him that I blush;

Or are they innocent, still I hate--
They mean a thing's to hush.

'Before he nought amiss could do,
Now all things show amiss;

'Twas all my fault, I know that true,
But all my fault was his.

'I hate him for his mute distress,
'Tis insult he should care!

Because my heart's all humbleness,
All pride is in my air.

'With him, each favour that I do
Is bold suit's hallowing text;

Each gift a bastion levelled, to
The next one and the next.

'Each wish whose grant may him befall
Is clogged by those withstood;

He trembles, hoping one means all,
And I, lest perhaps it should.

'Behind me piecemeal gifts I cast,
My fleeing self to save;

And that's the thing must go at last,
For that's the thing he'd have.

'My lock the enforc-ed steel did grate
To cut; its root-thrills came

Down to my bosom. It might sate
His lust for my poor shame!

'His sifted dainty this should be
For a score ambrosial years!

But his too much humility
Alarums me with fears.

'My gracious grace a breach he counts
For graceless escalade;

And, though he's silent ere he mounts,
My watch is not betrayed.

'My heart hides from my soul he's sweet:
Ah dread, if he divine!

One touch, I might fall at his feet,
And he might rise from mine.

'To hear him praise my eyes' brown gleams
Was native, safe delight;

But now it usurpation seems,
Because I've given him right.

'Before I'd have him not remove,
Now would not have him near;

With sacrifice I called on Love,
And the apparition's Fear.'

Foolish to give it!--'Twas my whim,
When he might parted be,

To think that I should stay by him
In a little piece of me.

'He always said my hair was soft--
What touches he will steal!

Each touch and look (and he'll look oft)
I almost thought I'd feel.

'And then, when first he saw the hair,
To think his dear amazement!

As if he wished from skies a star,
And found it in his casement.

'He's kiss the lock--and I had toyed
With dreamed delight of this:

But ah, in proof, delight was void--
I could not SEE his kiss!'

So, fond one, half this agony
Were spared, which my hand hushes,

Could you have played, Sweet, the sweet spy,
And blushed not for your blushes!

A GIRL'S SIN.
II.--In his eyes.

Can I forget her cruelty
Who, brown miracle, gave you me?

Or with unmoisted eyes think on
The proud surrender overgone,

(Lowlihead in haughty dress),
Of the tender tyranness?

And ere thou for my joy was given,
How rough the road to that blest heaven!

With what pangs I fore-expiated
Thy cold outlawry from her head;

How was I trampled and brought low,
Because her virgin neck was so;

How thralled beneath the jealous state
She stood at point to abdicate;

How sacrificed, before to me
She sacrificed her pride and thee;

• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
• vacant [´veikənt] a.空虚的，无表情的 (初中英语单词)
• circuit [´sə:kit] n.环行 v.(绕....)环行 (初中英语单词)
• device [di´vais] n.装置；器具；策略 (初中英语单词)
• wisdom [´wizdəm] n.智慧，聪明，才智 (初中英语单词)
• wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)
• dramatic [drə´mætik] a.戏剧的；戏剧般的 (初中英语单词)
• aspect [´æspekt] n.面貌；神色；方向 (初中英语单词)
• primitive [´primitiv] a.原始的 n.原始人 (初中英语单词)
• privilege [´privilidʒ] n.特权 vt.给....特权 (初中英语单词)
• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)
• innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)
• insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
• gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)
• miracle [´mirəkl] n.奇迹；令人惊奇的 (初中英语单词)
• surrender [sə´rendə] vt.&n.交出；引渡；放弃 (初中英语单词)
• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)
• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• radiant [´reidiənt] a.发光的 n.光源(体) (高中英语单词)
• orient [´ɔ:riənt] n.东方 a.东方的 (高中英语单词)
• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)
• dainty [´deinti] a.秀丽的 n.美味 (高中英语单词)
• breach [bri:tʃ] n.&v.破坏；违犯 (高中英语单词)
• haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)
• virgin [´və:dʒin] a.处女(般)的 n.处女 (高中英语单词)
• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)
• babble [´bæbəl] v.&n.唠叨；胡言乱语 (英语四级单词)
• sequence [´si:kwəns] n.继续；顺序；程序 (英语四级单词)
• shameful [´ʃeimfəl] a.可耻的；猥亵的 (英语四级单词)
• nought [nɔ:t] n.=naught (英语四级单词)