WHEN in the body you draw near Your spirit shrinks far, far away, As hemisphere and hemisphere Alternate narrow night and day. Your spirit west, your body east— Shines never light from both at once? Darkness is in your spirit increased While 'neath your brow shine mirrored suns. Or if your body as the moon Is far and vacuous and cold, Your spirit falls like April noon Sprinkling the grass with sudden gold. But I, between your sun and moon, And hemisphere and hemisphere, Halt misdoubting which the boon I chiefly need, and which most dear— Your present spirit, absent shape, Your kissing body, distant soul. I clasp you, and lo, you escape, Seizing a part I lose the whole. Remove far off—even so to bring Invisible your self's Self back; Let me not to the substance cling And evermore the shadow lack. Else in the habitude of touch And voice and look I lose your high Spiritual mystery, and clutch Only your mortality. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BURIED LADY by PAUL VALERY KUBLA KHAN by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE THE PLOUGHMAN by OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES HAILSTORM IN MAY by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS DOT LONG-HANDLED DIPPER by CHARLES FOLLEN ADAMS OUR MODEST DOUGHBOYS by CHARLTON ANDREWS THE ART OF PRESERVING HEALTH: BOOK 2. THE GASTRIC MUSE by JOHN ARMSTRONG STANZAS ADDRESSED TO SOME FRIEND GOING TO THE SEA-SIDE by BERNARD BARTON |