PS 
 
 |?earningg 
 
 l^tUtam CsittU ^titpps; 
 
^v 
 
 Class 
 
 BQok_L/7ffe/^-:^ 
 
 Copyright }j^ zii-xJ* 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 
 
YEARNINGS 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM ESTILL PHIPPS 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 THE GORHAM PRESS 
 1916 
 
Copyright, 1916, by W. Estill Phipps 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 
 The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. 
 
 MAR 10 1916 
 
 ©Ci,A428045 
 
YEARNINGS 
 
TWO FISHERMEN 
 
 The rustic stood by the fountain side, 
 And trolled his line in the plashing tide; 
 With ardent eye and heart-beat fast, 
 He hooked a fish at every cast. 
 But he saw no charm in stream or hill, 
 For his soul was dead to rapture's thrill — 
 He was only a fisher of fish. 
 
 The poet sat by the self-same stream ; 
 He cast his hook in the ripple's gleam. 
 And he tossed it in and toyed it out 
 In vain to tempt the wary trout. 
 A-weary, he thought, "I will depart; 
 Each man has work, each worker his art; 
 I am not a fisher of fish. 
 
 But his restless passion to beguile. 
 The woodbird twittered, "Remain awhile," 
 And gems beamed out in the spray's bright drops. 
 Perfume rose from the flowering copse. 
 The waters murmured a song unique, 
 A breeze blew down from the mountain peak 
 And he said, "It's the breath of God.'^ 
 
 The breath of God, with a touch serene. 
 Transformed the brook to glittering sheen — 
 To an ancient vase, of rustic mould, 
 Wherein he fished with a hook of gold ; 
 And the sirens chanted as he wrought, 
 For pearls of price were the fish he caught, 
 And he said, "I'm a fisher of men." 
 7 
 
RESCUED 
 
 'Tis dark; the murky fog hangs thick and low, 
 
 The breakers roll, and jagged rocks project. 
 
 Transfixed, aghast, I sit but to reflect: 
 
 Soon o'er my barque the turbid tide will flow, 
 
 And crush me down in grimy moss below — 
 
 I sink ! — but see — kind heaven doth allow 
 
 A beacon light — that light, dear love, art thou. 
 
 'Tis dark ; the wintry wind doth howl and rave ; 
 
 My path lies over hills and rugged rifts. 
 
 Where rocks rise high and lies the snow in drifts — 
 
 Destruction's brink I've reached, no power can save. 
 
 "All lost!" I cry, ''behold the yawning grave!" 
 
 When lo ! a cloud is reft, and there, I vow, 
 
 A beacon star — that star, dear love, art thou. 
 
 'Tis dark; intimidating clouds o'er-spread, 
 And dread emotions of the soul rise high. 
 The vanities of life I now decry ; 
 Ambition, valor, hope and love have fled ; 
 Bereft of these, 'tis better to be dead — 
 Despair! despair! yet comes there even now 
 A vision bright — that angel, love, art thou. 
 
SWEETHEART 
 
 Sweetheart, sweetheart ! the evening winds are sough- 
 ing 
 A requiem in the spectral Cyprus tree — 
 Sweet, melancholy love! — yet sadder, sweeter 
 Are these endearing words from you to me, 
 ''Sweetheart, sweetheart." 
 
 Sweetheart, sweetheart! the roses nod and whisper. 
 While morning zephyrs kiss away the dew — 
 
 Communing love in vesperal tones fantastic. 
 And yet they can not say, as I to you, 
 
 "Sweetheart, sweetheart." 
 
 Sweetheart, sweetheart! the wood-bird, from his 
 bower 
 Of green and blossoms, sings above his nest. 
 And tells his mate of heart-love by his music — 
 Yet these dear words ne'er echo from his breast, 
 "Sweetheart, sweetheart." 
 
 Sweetheart, sweetheart ! the mermaid woos her lover, 
 By moon-light glimmer, on the coral reef. 
 
 With siren strains, in concert with the breakers, 
 And fain would sing with mortal love" and grief, 
 "Sweetheart, sweetheart." 
 
 "Sweetheart, sweetheart" — words spoken not in 
 heaven — 
 For angels can not love as mortals do — 
 But sympathy of Eros gave this measure 
 To tell, in part, my burning love to you. 
 Sweetheart, sweetheart. 
 
CRATER LAKE 
 
 'Tis June, serene: On Cascade's rugged side, 
 
 Spring zephyrs melt the snow, and hardy flowers 
 
 Bloom gorgeously, supplanting its cold wake. 
 
 Aroma, sweet, the cragged, lusty wilds, 
 
 And quaint, blithe songs of merry birds revive 
 
 The weary pilgrim's steps, while trudging on 
 
 O'er lava soil that echoes every sound. 
 
 The winding path leads on from height to height 
 
 Like stair-steps trod by fabled Brobdingnags, 
 
 And every step anticipates the goal. 
 
 Fancy exaggerate portrays the scene — 
 The grandeur that shall burst upon the sight; 
 Yet when, from final height, itself appears, 
 Conception proves a disappointment dire: 
 Appalled ! both joy and pain, a flood of tears 
 At seeing what one seemed prepared to see ; 
 Approach the over-towering brink and gaze, 
 Transfixed, aghast, upon the jagged rim 
 That cups and hedges in (Oh, rugged vase!) 
 The placid lake ten thousand links below. 
 
 lO 
 
Now, while the sunrays fall athwart 
 
 And paint in rainbow tints and divers hues 
 
 Or prismy blend the eye ne'er saw before, 
 
 Sublimit}'^ transports in ecstacy; 
 
 And yet hold fast, for lo! yon signal stands — 
 
 Yon frowning, beacon crater lifts its head 
 
 To warn you that the fascinating god 
 
 Of grandeur lurks therein ; and see the chasm, 
 
 With gaping mouth wide spread to drink you up, 
 
 Inverted in the measureless abyss. 
 
 The blue infinity of heaven allures, 
 
 An irresistible desire to leap 
 
 Pervades the soul, and now you clutching stand 
 
 In ecstasies of heaven, in pangs of hell. 
 
 Of, thou weird, solitary sentinel ! 
 
 The most majestic work of nature-god! 
 
 Would that the artist's brush could imitate 
 
 Thy cragged stretch of wall to its great depth, 
 
 And mock the brilliant tints that emanate 
 
 From thy unfathomed, mystic, limpid sea; 
 
 Or that the awe-struck bard could sing in words 
 
 The psalm that thrills the soul while viewing thee. 
 
 The years thy monumental awe hast stood 
 
 Ere savage man eschewed thy brink in dread. 
 
 And fled thy fabled ghouls, are known alone 
 
 To Him whom thy sublimity portrays. 
 
 And yet in embryo when nations crouch 
 
 Upon thy verge, and call thee "Queen Sublime." 
 
 The moralist, who climbs to Wisdom's peak 
 Beholds alluring gems in Hope's fair bow. 
 Yet sees more clearly Superstition's Gulf, 
 Dark Sea of Ignorance, the heaven, the hell. 
 
 II 
 
A VALENTINE 
 
 Said an owl to a maid, one beautiful night, 
 While the moon rose high in the skies: 
 
 "I love you fair creature, your eyes are so bright — 
 Give heed to the words of the wise : 
 
 "The animal man is a bundle of lust, 
 
 Ambition, avarice and pride, 
 A slow-plodding creature that trails in the dust, 
 
 While I on the whirlwind can ride. 
 
 "Fly away to the hills, dear maiden, with me, 
 I will make you the queen of my nest, 
 
 You shall sail in a boat on solitude's sea, 
 And rest with your head on my breast." 
 
 "Kind sir," said the maid — and her eyes filled with 
 tears, 
 
 "Your wish would at once be obeyed, 
 Were it not for the fact that, thro' coming years. 
 
 The people would call me 'owl maid.' " 
 
 12 
 
A CRIMSON STAR 
 
 Confession is but cowardly when 'tis done 
 To implicate accomplices, and shield 
 The guilty perpetrator of a crime; 
 But when the principal, devoid of hope 
 Or fear of punishment, lays bare a plot, 
 Wherein the stigma rests on him alone. 
 It is a worthy act, approved of God. 
 Thro' one's own acts, or by another's deeds, 
 The conscience for a time may die; despair 
 And rapture may be banished from the heart, 
 Yet in presagement of impending doom. 
 Contrition resurrects the faculties, 
 And tawny day of passion dawns again. 
 
 It was within a scope of wide expanse. 
 
 Allotted off in squares and tenanted 
 
 With citrus fruits and eucalyptus trees ; 
 
 Hedged round about by palms and pepper-trees. 
 
 And performed with a wilderness of flowers; 
 
 A brown-stone cottage stood upon a height 
 
 That looked serenely on the wild, wide sea; 
 
 To seaward, was a vineclad portico 
 
 Wherein, upon an antique rustic seat, 
 
 Two beings drank the semi-tropic breeze, 
 
 Enveloped in the dreamy mists of love. 
 
 The man, attired in military garb. 
 
 Was tall and straight, with hair of raven hue. 
 
 And dark, impassioned eyes that flashed the light 
 
 Of tropic fire pent-up within the soul. 
 
 The maid was very fair; large braids of hair. 
 
 As blonde as new-wrought gold, adorned her head; 
 
 Her eyes, ultra-marine, reflected but 
 
 13 
 
The ether of the new-born summer sky. 
 
 Her h'ps were tinted like the June-bred rose, 
 
 And all her features were as fair as though 
 
 The gods in concert had created them. 
 
 She was devoid of blemish, save a smirch, 
 
 A star-shaped birthmark, small and crimson hued, 
 
 Upon her shapely neck, almost concealed 
 
 Beneath her hair; her winsome personage 
 
 Was not diminished by this crimson stain ; 
 
 It was repugnant to but one that one 
 
 (Her lover and betrothed by whom she sat) 
 
 Abhorred the mark, and supplicated that 
 It ever be concealed beneath her hair. 
 Withal, love-passion surged upon his soul, 
 Engulfing it as breakers do the beach ; 
 And she reciprocated ardent love. 
 
 The sun went down behind the ocean's crest, 
 
 And crimson-purple-hued reflections fell 
 
 Upon the landscape ; and anon the rays 
 
 Portrayed a subtle mist of molten gold 
 
 Upon the cloudless canopy of heaven. 
 
 Twilight her sombre wings spread o'er the scene. 
 
 And spectral shadows played beneath the trees ; 
 
 Yet still they sat enwrappied in love's transport, 
 
 And wist not that the darkness shrouded them. 
 
 The iron gate opened ; a stately man 
 
 Strode up the terraced walk, and broached them 
 
 there. 
 He clasped the hand of her who recognized 
 An erst-while friend, Don Pardo, just returned 
 From distant lands : the military man 
 Bowed stately to the don, but narrowly 
 
 14 
 
Observed his lady love: he thought he saw 
 
 The crimson star assume a livid hue, 
 
 A phosphorescent glow^, that by degrees, 
 
 As incandescent stars eclipsed by mists. 
 
 Died out, and vanished from his startled gaze. 
 
 But all hallucination pales in love; 
 
 Anon the maid became his blushing bride : 
 
 A feast ensued, Don Pardo was a guest, 
 
 And danced with merry-makers to the swell 
 
 Of magic music at the gorgeous ball. 
 
 The happy bridegroom and voluptuous bride 
 
 Participated in the revelry. 
 
 But when Don Pardo but so much as touched 
 
 The bride's white silken robe, the husband saw 
 
 The crimson star burst into livid glow. 
 
 They went upon a tour of many months. 
 And sipped the sweets of divers foreign climes. 
 And, in the ecstasies of frenzied love, 
 The husband soon forgot the crimson star. 
 
 Returning to their native land, it was 
 Embroilled in war: the military man 
 Was made commander of a regiment, 
 And ordered forth to battle with the foeT 
 The stern decree, with consternation fraught, 
 The officer with free consent obeyed. 
 And kissing the fond lips of her he loved. 
 He bade adieu to country and to queen. 
 Reluctantly, the wife gave her consent ; 
 She rued the fate that separation wrought. 
 And wept lest she might see her lord no more. 
 
 15 
 
Days, weeks and months elapsed ; each waning ,eve, 
 The wife sat on the vineclad porch, and heard 
 The moaning sea ; and fishermen relate 
 That after dusk an apparation sat 
 Beside her there, tall and of lofty mien. 
 Resembling much her absent warrior lord. 
 
 One evening, one eventful night in June, 
 The lady occupied the rustic seat, 
 Imbibing incense from the fragrant flowers. 
 And from the ocean's spicy breath: also 
 Beside her sat, with arms entwining her. 
 The spectre-form the fishermen had seen. 
 The restless breakers laved the beach, the breeze 
 Mingled the sea-bird's screech with its own sigh 
 Through stately palm and arbor-mantled bower, 
 Subjoined unto the all-absorbing theme, 
 Detracted them from the surrounding world ; 
 They saw no glimpse, nor heard a stalwart form 
 That moved with stealthy tread across the lawn. 
 And paused within a clump of cypress trees. 
 The ghost in ambush saw the shadows there, 
 And listening heard the converse of the two : 
 Concordant music was the voice of one. 
 The other dire as moanings of the damned. 
 To calumny and accusation base, 
 With sobs and tears, the gentle voice rejoined: 
 "My absent husband you shall not malign. 
 For were he here he would resent to death 
 The damming charges you impute to him. 
 His honor, valor, his unsullied name. 
 Are free from smirch, are stainless as the stars. 
 Isn't it enough for you to filch from her 
 The marriage vows, and by foul lechery 
 
 l6 
 
Debase the virtue of the one he loves ? 
 
 This hour I labour under dire mistrust, 
 
 Presentiment I cannot overcome 
 
 Forebodeth awful news ; last night I dreamed — 
 
 May God forbid it was reality — 
 
 My absent lord return and stood by me, 
 
 A halo hung about his handsome face. 
 
 But on his brow appeared a death-like frown. 
 
 And fiery passion flashed from out his eyes : 
 
 The vision swiftly changed ; his flesh dissolved. 
 And mystic, airy vapors filled the room. 
 That vanished like the summer mists, and left, 
 Revealed to view, an armored skeleton. 
 Thrice I awoke to dream the same again." 
 
 The form in ambush saw a livid glow 
 
 Beneath the speaker's hair; he shook with rage 
 
 As though the fires of hell tormented him : 
 
 He drew a sword and stood before his foe. 
 
 Who crouched and cowed beside the woman fair. 
 
 Commanding in a stentorian tone, "Vile wretch. 
 
 Arise and draw, or I must thrust you there." 
 
 The form arose, they crossed and parried swords. 
 
 But swiftly as the thunderbolts of God 
 
 The deed was done — Don Pardo fell a corpse. 
 
 The victor gazed upon his swooning love: 
 The star was dazzling bright, emitting forth 
 Refulgent sparks, till rocket-like it flashed— 
 The crimson star went out — his wife was dead. 
 
 17 
 
THE VOLUNTEER'S ADIEU 
 
 Awake ! I hear the clarion-cry ! 
 Aurora lights the eastern sky, 
 And morn soars in on wings of gold ; 
 The fragrant flowers and leaves unfold, 
 The dew-drop glistens on the mold — 
 Awake ! adieu ! away ! 
 
 Awake, adieu, away! — what for? 
 My country calls, "To arms, to war!" 
 The foreign foe comes on apace 
 Our rights and freedom to menace, 
 My native country to efface — 
 Awake ! adieu ! away ! 
 
 Adieu! — a kiss — thy tears are vain! 
 Lest I be numbered with the slain, 
 I swear by God's eternal throne 
 By deeds of valor to atone 
 Thy love, and live for thee alone — 
 Adieu, away, away! 
 
 Adieu, away, ambitious steed. 
 Hie over hill, hie over mead, 
 No lagging pace must now remind 
 Of broken ties, of love behind, 
 To fate I must be — am — resigned — 
 Adieu, away, away! 
 
 i8 
 
Ten legion soldiers, proud and brave, 
 Accompanies the glad refrain ; 
 Adieu, away! — the armored train 
 Their nation's fame and flag to save, 
 Mount to glory or face the grave — 
 Adieu, aw^ay, aw^ay! 
 
 If 
 
YEARNING 
 
 Last night I lay upon the clay, 
 And yet the softest down it seemed, 
 Bedecked with bowers of fragrant flowers, 
 And this dear heart, is what I dreamed : 
 
 This life's dark night was changed to light, 
 A halo brighter far than day, 
 And visions rare, devoid of care, 
 Trod to and fro the glad highway. 
 
 And, of the fair and debonair, 
 Thyself, thy former self, was one. 
 As one of heaven with sins forgiven, 
 Or thou before life's sins begun. 
 
 And love returned my spirit burned — 
 Enchanted fire of life divine — 
 And must consume till day of doom 
 This carnal nature to refine. 
 
 Last night I lay upon the clay — 
 Grave that entombs the buried past — 
 Awoke to fret, ah ! vain regret ; 
 Would God that sleep had been my last. 
 
 20 
 
LOVE'S ORIGIN 
 
 Whence cometh love? 'Tis said by Eros given, 
 
 Who vow^s the germ purloined by him from Heaven. 
 
 And if he did it not to us endow, 
 
 I fain conjectured whence it came and how. 
 
 But why ask me love's origin divine? 
 
 My feeble sophistries as well confine 
 
 To ascertain its end ; for when two souls 
 
 Are once enveloped in its subtle folds 
 
 Time nor Eternity will extricate, 
 
 Nor Destiny alter the dual state — 
 
 Forever more the blended two are one — 
 
 No power can change — the two exist as one. 
 
 21