Page:Poems Jackson.djvu/203

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
TRIUMPH.
151
I see make room for thee to bide
A quiet comrade by their side;
I see the creeping peoples go
Mysterious journeys to and fro,
Treading to right and left of thee,
Doing thee homage wonderingly.
I see the wild bees as they fare,
Thy cups of honey drink, but spare.
I mark thee bathe and bathe again
In sweet uncalendared spring rain.
I watch how all May has of sun
Makes haste to have thy ripeness done,
While all her nights let dews escape
To set and cool thy perfect shape.
Ah, fruit of fruits, no more I pause
To dream and seek thy hidden laws!
I stretch my hand and dare to taste,
In instant of delicious waste
On single feast, all things that went
To make the empire thou hast spent.


TRIUMPH.
NOT he who rides through conquered city's gate,
At head of blazoned hosts, and to the sound
Of v1ctors trumpets, in full pomp and state
Of war, the utmost pitch has dreamed or found
To which the thrill of triumph can be wound;
Nor he, who by a nation's vast acclaim