Collected Poems Volume II Part 17

V

So, when the rich young merchant Showed him his bags of gold, Yoichi Tenko, the painter, Gave him her hand to hold, Said: "You shall wed him, O Kimi."

Softly he lied and smiled-- "_Yea, for Sawara is wedded!

Let him not mock you, child._"

Dumbly she turned and left them, Never a word or cry Broke from her lips' grey petals Under the drifting sky: Down to the spray and the rainbows, Where she had watched him of old Painting the rose-red islands, Painting the sand's wet gold,

Down to their dreams of the sunset, Frail as a flower's white ghost, Lonely and lost she wandered Down to the darkening coast; Lost in the drifting midnight, Weeping, desolate, blind.

Many went out to seek her: Never a heart could find.

Yoichi Tenko, the painter, Plucked from his willow-tree Two big paper lanterns And ran to the brink of the sea; Over his head he held them, Crying, and only heard, Somewhere, out in the darkness, The cry of a wandering bird.

VI

Peonies, peonies thronged the May When in royal-rich array Came Sawara to the school Under the silvery willow-tree-- To the school of Tenko!

Silver bells on a milk-white mule, Rose-red sails on an emerald sea!

Over the bloom of the cherry spray, Peonies, peonies dimmed the day; And he rode the royal way Back to Yoichi Tenko.

Yoichi Tenko, half afraid, Whispered, "Wed some other maid; Kimi left me all alone Under the silvery willow-tree, Left me," whispered Tenko, "Kimi had a heart of stone!"-- "Kimi, Kimi? Who is she?

Kimi? Ah--the child that played Round the willow-tree. She prayed Often; and, whate'er I said, She believed it, Tenko."

He had come to paint anew Those dim isles of rose and blue, For a palace far away, Under the silvery willow-tree-- So he said to Tenko; And he painted, day by day, Golden visions of the sea.

No, he had not come to woo; Yet, had Kimi proven true, Doubtless he had loved her too, Hardly less than Tenko.

Since the thought was in his head, He would make his choice and wed; And a lovely maid he chose Under the silvery willow-tree.

"Fairer far," said Tenko.

"Kimi had a twisted nose, And a foot too small, for me, And her face was dull as lead!"

"Nay, a flower, be it white or red, _Is_ a flower," Sawara said!

"So it is," said Tenko.

VII

Great Sawara, the painter, Sought, on a day of days, One of the peac.o.c.k islands Out in the sunset haze: Rose-red sails on the water Carried him quickly nigh; There would he paint him a wonder Worthy of Hokusai.

Lo, as he leapt o'er the creaming Roses of faery foam, Out of the green-lipped caverns Under the isle's blue dome, White as a drifting snow-flake, White as the moon's white flame, White as a ghost from the darkness, Little O Kimi came.

"Long I have waited, Sawara, Here in our sunset isle, Sawara, Sawara, Sawara, Look on me once, and smile; Face I have watched so long for, Hands I have longed to hold, Sawara, Sawara, Sawara, Why is your heart so cold?"

Surely, he thought, I have painted Nothing so fair as this Moonlit almond blossom Sweet to fold and kiss....

"Kimi," he said, "I am wedded!

Hush, for it could not be!"

"Kiss me one kiss," she whispered, "Me also, even me."

Small and terribly drifting Backward, her sad white face Lifted up to Sawara Once, in that lonely place, White as a drifting blossom Under his wondering eyes, Slowly he gathered and held her Under the drifting skies.

"Others are happy," she whispered, "Maidens and men I have seen: Be happy, be happy, Sawara!

The other--shall be--your queen!

Kiss me one kiss for parting."

Trembling she lifted her head, Then like a broken blossom It fell on his arm. She was dead.

VIII

Much impressed, Sawara straight (Though the hour was growing late) Made a sketch of Kimi lying By the lonely, sighing sea, Brought it back to Tenko.

Tenko looked it over crying (Under the silvery willow-tree).

"You have burst the golden gate!

You have conquered Time and Fate!

Hokusai is not so great!

This is Art," said Tenko!

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

I

I remember-- a breath, a breath Blown thro' the rosy gates of birth, A morning freshness not of the earth But cool and strange and lovely as death In Paradise, in Paradise, When, all to suffer the old sweet pain Closing his immortal eyes Wonder-wild an angel lies With wings of rainbow-tinctured grain Withering till--ah, wonder-wild, Here on the dawning earth again He wakes, a little child.

II

I remember-- a gleam, a gleam Of sparkling waves and warm blue sky Far away and long ago, Or ever I knew that youth could die; And out of the dawn, the dawn, the dawn, Into the unknown life we sailed As out of sleep into a dream, And, as with elfin cables drawn In dusk of purple over the glowing Wrinkled measureless emerald sea, The light cloud shadows larger far Than the sweet shapes which drew them on, Elfin exquisite shadows flowing Between us and the morning star Chased us all a summer's day, And our sail like a dew-lit blossom shone Till, over a rainbow haze of spray That arched a reef of surf like snow --Far away and long ago-- We saw the sky-line rosily engrailed With tufted peaks above a smooth lagoon Which growing, growing, growing as we sailed Curved all around them like a crescent moon; And then we saw the purple-shadowed creeks, The feathery palms, the gleaming golden streaks Of sand, and nearer yet, like jewels of fire Streaming between the boughs, or floating higher Like tiny sunset-clouds in noon-day skies, The birds of Paradise.

III

The island floated in the air, Its image floated in the sea: Which was the shadow? Both were fair: Like sister souls they seemed to be; And one was dreaming and asleep, And one bent down from Paradise To kiss with radiance in the deep The darkling lips and eyes.

And, mingling softly in their dreams, That holy kiss of sea and sky Transfused the shadows and the gleams Of Time and of Eternity: The dusky face looked up and gave To heaven its golden shadowed calm; The face of light fulfilled the wave With blissful wings and fans of palm.

Above, the tufted rosy peaks That melted in the warm blue skies, Below, the purple-shadowed creeks That gla.s.sed the birds of Paradise-- A bridal knot, it hung in heaven; And, all around, the still lagoon From bloom of dawn to blush of even Curved like a crescent moon.

And there we wandered evermore Thro' boyhood's everlasting years, Listening the murmur of the sh.o.r.e As one that lifts a sh.e.l.l and hears The murmur of forgotten seas Around some lost Broceliande, The sigh of sweet Eternities That turn the world to fairy-land,

That turned our isle to a single pearl Glowing in measureless waves of wine!

Above, below, the clouds would curl, Above, below, the stars would s.h.i.+ne In sky and sea. We hung in heaven!

Time and s.p.a.ce were but elfin-sweet Rock-bound pools for the dawn and even To wade with their rosy feet.

Our pirate cavern faced the West: We closed its door with screens of palm, While some went out to seek the nest Wherein the Phoenix, breathing balm, Burns and dies to live for ever (How should we dream we lived to die?) And some would fish in the purple river That thro' the hills brought down the sky.

And some would dive in the lagoon Like sunbeams, and all round our isle Swim thro' the lovely crescent moon, Glimpsing, for breathless mile on mile, The wild sea-woods that bloomed below, The rainbow fish, the coral cave Where vanis.h.i.+ng swift as melting snow A mermaid's arm would wave.

Then das.h.i.+ng sh.o.r.eward thro' the spray On sun-lit sands they cast them down, Or in the white sea-daisies lay With sun-stained bodies rosy-brown, Content to watch the foam-bows flee Across the shelving reefs and bars, With wild eyes gazing out to sea Like happy haunted stars.