THE ETERNAL CHILDREN
I struggled, but Oh! I could not rise:
Shouted—but I was dumb!....
Look! Look! on yonder crystal column
Hither again they come!
Toss, and twinkle, and sprinkle and spray
Of little white hands in the air,
Glimmer of lily-white limbs, and glamour
Of glistening, glittering hair,
Lifted, lifted....down (O Terror!)
Dash’d in the curdled surge....
Out! on the sand again, safe, with laughter,
See, thank God! they emerge.
And who are these upon the shore
Dimpling and dancing?
Where were these bestow’d before?
Other Little-Ones, more and more,
On the sudden-shining shore
Glinting and glancing.
And what has lighted so the light?
What has wash’d the air?
What has coax’d or chased away
That unguess’d veil between the sun
And this rejoicing day?
How all laughs, everywhere!
Has Earth been going in disguise,
Or am I given new eyes?
Never, never was blue so true,
Never was grass so green;
Never such gold on the water roll’d,
Or lacquer’d the sand and with sheen!
Only the great Sea, jewel-hued,
No way needed to be renew’d;
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