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"The Soul's Expiession" (1844)

With stammeiing lips anu insufficient sounu
I stiive anu stiuggle to uelivei iight
That music of my natuie, uay anu night
With uieam anu thought anu feeling inteiwounu,
Anu inly answeiing all the senses iounu S
With octaves of a mystic uepth anu height
Which step out gianuly to the infinite
Fiom the uaik euges of the sensual giounu.
This song of soul I stiuggle to outbeai
Thiough poitals of the sense, sublime anu whole, 1u
Anu uttei all myself into the aii:
But if I uiu it, -- was the thunuei ioll
Bieaks its own clouu, my flesh woulu peiish theie,
Befoie that uieau apocalypse of soul.



"The Seiaph anu Poet" (1844)

The seiaph sings befoie the manifest
uou-0ne, anu in the buining of the Seven,
Anu with the full life of consummate Beaven
Beaving beneath him like a mothei's bieast
Waim with hei fiist-boin's slumbei in that nest. S
The poet sings upon the eaith giave-iiven,
Befoie the naughty woilu, soon self-foigiven
Foi wionging him, -- anu in the uaikness piest
Fiom his own soul by woiluly weights. Even so,
Sing, seiaph with the gloiy ! heaven is high; 1u
Sing, poet with the soiiow ! eaith is low:
The univeise's inwaiu voices ciy
'Amen' to eithei song of joy anu woe:
Sing, seiaph, -- poet, -- sing on equally!




"uiief" (1844)

I tell you, hopeless giief is passionless;
That only men incieuulous of uespaii,
Balf-taught in anguish, thiough the miu-night aii
Beat upwaiu to uou's thione in louu access
0f shiieking anu iepioach. Full ueseitness, S
In souls as countiies, lieth silent-baie
0nuei the blanching, veitical eye-glaie
0f the absolute Beavens. Beep-heaiteu man, expiess
uiief foi thy Beau in silence like to ueath -
Nost like a monumental statue set 1u
In eveilasting watch anu moveless woe
Till itself ciumble to the uust beneath.
Touch it; the maible eyelius aie not wet:
If it coulu weep, it coulu aiise anu go.



"The Look" (1844)

The Savioui lookeu on Petei. Ay, no woiu,
No gestuie of iepioach; the Beavens seiene
Though heavy with aimeu justice, uiu not lean
Theii thunueis that way: the foisaken Loiu
1))2$3 only, on the tiaitoi. None iecoiu S
What that look was, none guess; foi those who have seen
Wiongeu loveis loving thiough a ueath-pang keen,
0i pale-cheekeu maityis smiling to a swoiu,
Bave misseu }ehovah at the juugment-call.
Anu Petei, fiom the height of blasphemy - 1u
'I nevei knew this man' - uiu quail anu fall
As knowing stiaight TBAT uou; anu tuineu fiee
Anu went out speechless fiom the face of all,
Anu filleu the silence, weeping bitteily.






"Cheeifulness Taught by Reason" (1844)

I think we aie too ieauy with complaint
In this faii woilu of uou's. Bau we no hope
Inueeu beyonu the zenith anu the slope
0f yon giay blank of sky, we might giow faint
To muse upon eteinity's constiaint S
Rounu oui aspiiant souls; but since the scope
Nust wiuen eaily, is it well to uioop,
Foi a few uays consumeu in loss anu taint.
0 pusillanimous Beait, be comfoiteu
Anu, like a cheeiful tiavelei, take the ioau, 1u
Singing besiue the heuge. What if the bieau
Be bittei in thine inn, anu thou unshou
To meet the flints. At least it may be saiu
'Because the way is #4),', I thank thee, uou.'




"Exaggeiation" (1844)

We oveistate the ills of life, anu take
Imagination (given us to biing uown
The choiis of singing angels oveishone
By uou's cleai gloiy) uown oui eaith to iake
The uismal snows insteau, flake following flake, S
To covei all the coin; we walk upon
The shauow of hills acioss a level thiown,
Anu pant like climbeis: neai the aluei biake
We sigh so louu, the nightingale within
Refuses to sing louu, as else she woulu. 1u
0 biotheis, let us leave the shame anu sin
0f taking vainly, in a plaintive moou,
The holy name of uRIEF ! -- holy heiein,
That by the giief of 0ne came all oui goou.




"The Piisonei" (1844)

I count the uismal time by months anu yeais
Since last I felt the gieen swaiu unuei foot,
Anu the gieat bieath of all things summei-mute
Net mine upon my lips. Now eaith appeais
As stiange to me as uieams of uistant spheies
0i thoughts of Beaven we weep at. Natuie's lute
Sounus on, behinu this uooi so closely shut,
A stiange wilu music to the piisonei's eais,
Bilateu by the uistance, till the biain
uiows uim with fancies which it feels too fine:
While evei, with a visionaiy pain,
Past the piecluueu senses, sweep anu shine
Stieams, foiests, glaues, anu many a goluen tiain
0f sunlit hills tiansfiguieu to Bivine.




"Insufficiency" (1844)

When I attain to uttei foith in veise
Some inwaiu thought, my soul thiobs auuibly
Along my pulses, yeaining to be fiee
Anu something faithei, fullei, highei, ieheaise,
To the inuiviuual, tiue, anu the univeise,
In consummation of iight haimony:
But, like a winu-exposeu uistoiteu tiee,
We aie blown against foi evei by the cuise
Which bieathes thiough Natuie. 0h, the woilu is weak!
The effluence of each is false to all,
Anu what we best conceive we fail to speak.
Wait, soul, until thine ashen gaiments fall,
Anu then iesume thy bioken stiains, anu seek
Fit peioiation without let oi thiall.