The Cynosure
So let me in thy heaven of thought appear,
As doth a twilight star—
The harbinger of tenderest hopes anear,
And memories afar.
Departure
Go now thy way, but whereso’er thou art,
If sick again for home,
Know that the place forsaken in my heart
Is vacant till thou come.
My Secret
’Tis not what I am fain to hide
That doth in deepest darkness dwell,
But what my tongue hath often tried,
Alas, in vain, to tell.
In Absence
All that thou art not, makes not up the sum
Of what thou art, beloved, unto me:
All other voices, wanting thine, are dumb;
All vision, in thine absence, vacancy.
A Remonstrance
Sing me no more, sweet warbler, for the dart
Of joy is keener than the flash of pain;
Sing me no more, for the re-echoed strain
Together with the silence breaks my heart.
For a recitation, click the play button:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103785782″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]“The Cynosure”: Lyrics, p. 155; Poetry, p. 353. 1897. A cynosure is a guide or focal point of attention; a harbinger is a forerunner or a foreshadowing.
“Departure”: Later Poems, p. 47; Poetry, p. 355. 1910.
“My Secret”: Lyrics, p. 169; Poetry, p. 354. March 1896. Fain means eager.
“In Absence”: Lyrics, p. 170; Poetry, p. 354. 1897.
“A Remonstrance”: Lyrics, p. 170; Poetry, p. 354. May 1896.
