Well, there's the brazier set by the temple door: Blue flames run over the coals and flicker through. There are cool spaces of sky between white clouds -- But what are flames and spaces but eyes of blue? And there's the harp on which great fingers play Of gods who touch the wires, dreaming infinite things: And there's a soul that wanders out when called By a voice afar from the answering strings. And there's the wish of the deep fulfillment of tears, Till the vision, the mad music are wept away. One cannot have them and live, but if one die It might be better than living -- who can say? Why do we thirst for urns beyond urns who know How sweet they are, yet bitter, not enough? Eternity will quench your thirst, O soul -- But never the Desert's spectre, cup of love! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BUILDING OF THE SHIP by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW KARMA by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON THE PRINCE OF PEACE by EDWARD HENRY BICKERSTETH THE LOVE SONNETS OF PROTEUS: 104. WRITTEN AT FLORENCE: 2 by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT MR. SLUDGE, THE MEDIUM by ROBERT BROWNING THE BUGLER FROM THE PEAKS by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON A STRICTURE ON BISHOP WARBURTON'S DOCTRINE OF GRACE by JOHN BYROM |