THE DRAGON-FLY S QUEST. 3OI
" In the solemn green water- world lying
Slept the larvae in peace long ago, Till the sun, through the golden wave calling, Wakened surely the dull life below
" Until creatures, new formed, woke to gladness
Strange gladness, not full, nor complete ; For the ooze of the soil was about them, And clung like a clog to their feet.
"Very wise water-bugs whispered softly That, climbing up rush-ladders high, One could come to a kingdom of flowers, A land underneath a blue sky.
" Nay, that wings all unfettered went yonder,
That death meant the water-line fair,
Where grossness of earth-form departed,
And the freed spirit soared into air.
"There were doubters, of course, to dispute it;
What hath been shall be evermore, They said, as they clung to the rushes Or slept on the wave-covered shore.
"But the dragon-fly, steadily going
Up higher toward sunlight divine, Bade his comrades good-by as he pledged them A vow with the lily-root wine :
" When I glow in the light I am seeking,
And the kiss of the sun thrills me through, 26
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