Poems (Jackson)/Presence
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NAMELESS thing! which art and art not; spell
Whose bond can bind the powers of the air,
Compelling them thy face to hide or bear.
O voice! which, bringing not the faintest swell
Of sound, canst in the air so crowd and dwell
That all sounds die. O sight! which needst no share
Of sun, which sav'st blind eyes from their despair,
O touch! which dost not touch, and yet canst tell
To waiting flesh, by thy caress complete,
The whole of love, till veins grow red with heat;
O life of life! to which graves are not girt
With terror, and all death can bring no hurt.
O mystery of blessing! never lift
Thy veil! our one inalienable gift!
PRESENCE.
NAMELESS thing! which art and art not; spellWhose bond can bind the powers of the air,
Compelling them thy face to hide or bear.
O voice! which, bringing not the faintest swell
Of sound, canst in the air so crowd and dwell
That all sounds die. O sight! which needst no share
Of sun, which sav'st blind eyes from their despair,
O touch! which dost not touch, and yet canst tell
To waiting flesh, by thy caress complete,
The whole of love, till veins grow red with heat;
O life of life! to which graves are not girt
With terror, and all death can bring no hurt.
O mystery of blessing! never lift
Thy veil! our one inalienable gift!