Produced by Paul Murray, Diane Monico, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES BIRTHDAY ODE Taken from THE COLLECTED POETICAL WORKS OF ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE, VOL. III By Algernon Charles Swinburne SWINBURNE'S POETICAL WORKS I. POEMS AND BALLADS (First Series). II. SONGS BEFORE SUNRISE, AND SONGS OF TWO NATIONS. III. POEMS AND BALLADS (Second and Third Series), and SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES. IV. TRISTRAM OF LYONESSE, THE TALE OF BALEN, ATALANTA IN CALYDON, ERECHTHEUS. V. STUDIES IN SONG, A CENTURY OF ROUNDELS, SONNETS ON ENGLISH DRAMATIC POETS, THE HEPTALOGIA, ETC. VI. A MIDSUMMER HOLIDAY, ASTROPHEL, A CHANNEL PASSAGE AND OTHER POEMS. LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES BIRTHDAY ODE By Algernon Charles Swinburne 1917 LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN _First printed (Chatto), 1904_ _Reprinted 1904, '09, '10, '12_ _(Heinemann), 1917_ _London: William Heinemann, 1917_ SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY 293 THALASSIUS 295 ON THE CLIFFS 311 THE GARDEN OF CYMODOCE 326 BIRTHDAY ODE 341 NOTES 359 SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES DEDICATION TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY _A sea-mew on a sea-king's wrist alighting, As the north sea-wind caught and strained and curled The raven-figured flag that led men fighting From field to green field of the water-world, Might find such brief high favour at his hand For wings imbrued with brine, with foam impearled, As these my songs require at yours on land, That durst not save for love's free sake require, Being lightly born between the foam and sand, But reared by hope and memory and desire Of lives that were and life that is to be, Even such as filled his heavenlier song with fire Whose very voice, that sang to set man free, Was in your ears as ever in ours his lyre, Once, ere the flame received him from the sea._ THALASSIUS Upon the flowery forefront of the year, One wandering by the grey-green April sea Found on a reach of shingle and shallower sand Inlaid with starrier glimmering jewellery Left for the sun's love and the light wind's cheer Along the foam-flowered strand Breeze-brightened, something nearer sea than land Though the last shoreward blossom-fringe was near, A babe asleep with flower-soft face that gleamed To sun and seaward as it laughed and dreamed, Too sure of either love for either's fear, Albeit so birdlike slight and light, it seemed Nor man nor mortal child of man, but fair As even its twin-born tenderer spray-flowers were, That the wind scatters like an Oread's hair.