More lusts, more shining eyes, more dizzy laughter, More, madder music, flute and violin, With drums before and roses showered after, Always in new bliss drowning his old sin; Sin?--Was it that?--And straight in merry din Of song and shout and laugh this thought was lost; It was no sin to live, whate’er the cost!... High overhead the Brooklyn bridges passed, Span upon span and rumorous with cars, Their shadows on the deck a moment cast, With dizzy thunder from their traffic’s wars; Those grey stone piers would soon be crowned with stars,-- Even now their brows were soft with waning sun; The homeward march of armies was begun. Good-bye, old bridges! And New York, good-bye! Northward the engines took him; now no more His gaze hung here; he watched the western sky Blazing with vision-isles and faery shore; Northward the vibrant ship beneath him bore; The Sound spread out before them, wide and blue, Clean came the wind whereon the sea-gulls flew.... Soft fields, the flaming trees, a twilight farm ... New York was gone. He drew deep breaths of air, Keen as keen fire it was; then slow and calm, He turned to walk ... when lo, a girl came there, Deep sunset in her eyes and on her hair, Her white dress clinging to her knees, one hand Rising to shade her blue eyes; as she scanned The swiftly gliding shore, the passing ships, The bell-buoys, bobbing and tolling in the tide.... A moment, breath hung lifeless on his lips, His heart froze quiet; no one was at her side; Faintly, he smiled; he thought her eyes replied, Remote lights meeting in them,--quickening; He passed, and all his body seemed to sing.... He passed, then turned; and, as he turned, she turned,-- Her eyes met his eyes shyly, then again She looked away, and all her soft face burned, And all her virgin heart was big with pain. From the saloon below came soft a strain Of some new rag-time, bidding feet to move, Imploring hands to cling, young hearts to love.... Sweetly it came, seductive, soft bizarre, Huddled and breathless now, now note by note Crying its separate pain ... now near, now far ... Mingled with all the throbbing of the boat. How beautiful! the first star came, to float Impalpable in dusk, low in the east; It seemed to sing on when the music ceased. Herald of love, lo, love itself it seemed, Singing into the twilight of her soul.... How beautiful!... across dark waters gleamed Red lights and green, she heard a bell-buoy toll Suddenly caught in the after-wash’s roll; A smell of autumn fires came down the wind; Beauty so keen it seemed it must have sinned....