Fledged as it were with Mercury's ankle-wing,

Whirls her to me but will she fling herself,

Shameless upon me? Catch her, goatfoot: nay,

Hide, hide them, million-myrtled wilderness,

And cavern-shadowing laurels, hide! do I wish

What?-that the bush were leafless? or to whelm

All of them in one massacre! O ye Gods,

I know you careless, yet, behold, to you From childly wont and ancient use 1 call

I thought I lived securely as yourselves

No lewdness, narrowing envy, monkey

spite,

No madness of ambition, avarice, none: No larger feast than under plane or

pine

With neighbors laid along the grass, to take

Only such cups as left us friendly

warm,

Affirming each his own philosophyNothing to mar the sober majesties Of settled, sweet, Epicurean life.

But now it seems some unseen monster lays

His vast and filthy hands upon my will, Wrenching it backward into his; and spoils

My bliss in being; and t was not great; For save when shutting reasons up in rhythm,

Or Heliconian honey in living_words, To make a truth less harsh, I often grew

Tired of so much within our little life,
Or of so little in our little life--
Poor little life that toddles half an
hour

Crown'd with a flower or two, and there an end

And since the nobler pleasure seems to fade,

Why should I, beastlike as I find myself,

Not manlike end myself?-our privi

lege

What beast has heart to do it? And

day

Cracks all to pieces,-and that hour perhaps

Is not so far when momentary man Shall seem no more a something to himself,

But he, his hopes and hates, his homes and fanes,

And even his bones long laid within the grave,

The very sides of the grave itself shall pass,

Vanishing, atom and void, atom and void,

Into the unseen forever,-till that hour, My golden work in which I told a truth That stays the rolling Ixionian wheel And numbs the Fury's ringlet-suake, and plucks

The mortal soul from out immortal hell,

Shall stand: ay, surely: then it fails

at last

With that he drove the knife into his side:

She heard him raging, heard him fall; ran in,

Beat breast, tore hair, cried out upon herself

As having fail'd in duty to him, shriek'd That she but meant to win him back,

fell on him,

Clasp'd, kiss'd him, wail'd: he an swer'd, "Care not thou! Thy duty? What is duty? Fare thee well!"

SONG.

My life is full of weary days,

But good things have not kept aloof, Nor wandered into other ways:

I have not lack'd thy mild reproof, Nor golden largess of thy praise.

And now shake hands across the brink Of that deep grave to which I go : Shake hands once more: I cannot sink So far-far down, but I shall know The voice, and auswer from below.

THE CAPTAIN.

A LEGEND OF THE NAVY.

HE that only rules by terror

Doeth grievous wrong.

Deep as Hell I count his error,
Let him hear my song.

Brave the Captain was: the seamen
Made a gallant crew,

Gallant sons of English freemen,
Sailors bold and true.

But they hated his oppression,
Stern he was and rash;

So for every light transgression
Doom'd them to the lash.
Day by day more harsh and cruel
Seem'd the Captain's mood,
Secret wrath like smother'd fuel
Burnt in each man's blood.
Yet he hoped to purchase glory,
Hoped to make the name
Of his vessel great in story,
Wheresoe'er he came.

So they past by capes and islands,
Many a harbor-mouth,
Sailing under palmy highlands
Far within the South.

On a day when they were going
O'er the lone expanse,

In the north, her canvas flowing,
Rose a ship of France.

Then the Captain's color heighten'd,
Joyful came his speech:
But a cloudy gladness lighten'd
In the eyes of each.

"Chase," he said: the ship flew forward,

And the wind did blow;
Stately, lightly, went she Norward,
Till she heard the foe.

Then they look'd at him they hated,
Had what they desired:

Mute with folded arms they waited-
Not a gun was fired.

But they heard the foeman's thunder
Roaring out their doom;
All the air was torn in sunder,
Crashing went the boom,

Spars were splinter'd, decks were shat

ter'd,

Bullets fell like rain;

Over mast and deck were scatter'd Blood and brains of men.

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