Flees in its agitation
The flames' stiff speed:

At last to calm incandescence,
Burned clean by remorseless hate,
Now, at the day's renascence
We approach the gate.

Now, from the darkened spaces
Of fear, and of frightened faces,
Death, in our awful embraces
Approached and passed by;

We near the flame-burnt porches
Where the brands of the angels, like torches
Whirl,--in these perilous marches
Pausing to sigh;

We look back on the withering roses,
The stars, in their sun-dimmed closes,
Where 'twas given us to repose us
Sure on our sanctity;

Beautiful, candid lovers,
Burnt out of our earthy covers,
We might have nestled like plovers
In the fields of eternity.

There, sure in sinless being,
All-seen, and then all-seeing,
In us life unto death agreeing,
We might have lain.

But we storm the angel-guarded
Gates of the long-discarded,
Garden, which God has hoarded
Against our pain.

The Lord of Hosts, and the Devil
Are left on Eternity's level
Field, and as victors we travel
To Eden home.

Back beyond good and evil
Return we. Eve dishevel
Your hair for the bliss-drenched revel
On our primal loam.

_SPRING MORNING_

AH, through the open door
Is there an almond tree
Aflame with blossom!
--Let us fight no more.

Among the pink and blue
Of the sky and the almond flowers
A sparrow flutters.
--We have come through,

It is really spring!--See,
When he thinks himself alone
How he bullies the flowers.
--Ah, you and me

How happy we'll be!--See him
He clouts the tufts of flowers
In his impudence.
--But, did you dream

It would be so bitter? Never mind
It is finished, the spring is here.
And we're going to be summer-happy
And summer-kind.

We have died, we have slain and been slain,
We are not our old selves any more.
I feel new and eager
To start again.

It is gorgeous to live and forget.
And to feel quite new.
See the bird in the flowers?--he's making
A rare to-do!

He thinks the whole blue sky
Is much less than the bit of blue egg
He's got in his nest--we'll be happy
You and I, I and you.

With nothing to fight any more--
In each other, at least.
See, how gorgeous the world is
Outside the door!

SAN GAUDENZIO

_WEDLOCK_

I

COME, my little one, closer up against me,
Creep right up, with your round head pushed in
my breast.

How I love all of you! Do you feel me wrap
you
Up with myself and my warmth, like