Poems of power [electronic text]

SO MANY WAYS.

I.

EARTH has so many ways of being fair: Its sweet young Spring, its Summer clothed in light, Its regal Autumn trailing into sight As Summer wafts her last kiss on the air. Bold virile Winter with the wind-blown hair And the broad beauty of a world in white. Mysterious dawn, high noon, and pensive night, And over all God's great worlds watching there. The voices of the birds at break of day; The smell of young buds bursting on the tree; The soft suggested promises of bliss, Uttered by every subtle voice of May; And the strange wonder of the mighty sea, Lifting its cheek to take the full moon's kiss.

II.

Love has so many ways of being sweet. The timorous rose-hued dawning of its reign Before the senses waken; that dear pain Of mingled doubt and certainty: the fleet First moment when the clasped hands meet In wordless eloquence; the loss and gain

When the strong billows from the deeper mainSubmerge the valleys of the incomplete. The restless passion rising into peace; The growing beauty of two paths that blend Into one perfect way. The glorious faith That feels no fear of life's expiring lease. And that majestic victory at the end When love, unconquered, triumphs over death.