Flower that I have taken From its place in the garden To realize the ultimate Beauty; Flower in the vase at my side, Breathing a sweeter life Into the air I breathe, A spirit that makes me faint, Sorrowful with a strange languor. Flower no less beautiful, But revealing an essence That changes my flower. O, my flower that is with me but lost, Lost in the disclosure of other hues, Other scents! Flower of passion, flower of love, Flower that I have won and lost, Mystical flower! INEXORABLE DEITIES Deities! Inexorable revealers, Give me strength to endure The gifts of the Muses, Daughters of Memory. When the sky is blue as Minerva's eyes Let me stand unshaken; When the sea sings to the rising sun Let me be unafraid; When the meadow lark falls like a meteor Through the light of afternoon, An unloosened fountain of rapture, Keep my heart from spilling Its vital power; When at the dawn The dim souls of crocuses hear the calls Of waking birds, Give me to live but master the loveliness. Keep my eyes unharmed from splendors Unveiled by you, And my ears at peace Filled no less with the music Of Passion and Pain, growth and change. * * * * * But O ye sacred and terrible powers, Reckless of my mortality, Strengthen me to behold a face, To know the spirit of a beloved one Yet to endure, yet to dare! ARIELLE Arielle! Arielle! Gracious and fanciful, Laughing and joyous! Arielle girlish, queenly, majestical; Deep eyed for memory, Pensive for dreams. Arielle crowned with the light of thought, Mystical, reverent, Musing on the splendor of life, And the blossom of love Pressed into her hands-- Arielle! Music awakes in the hall! Shadowy pools and glistening willows, And elfin shapes amid silver shadows Are made into sound! Arielle listens with hidden eyes, Sitting amid her treasures, A presence like a lamp of alabaster, A yearning gardenia That broods in a shaft of light... Arielle clapping hands and running About her rooms, Arranging cloths of gold and jars of crystal, And vases of ruby cloisonne. Arielle matching blues and reds: Pomegranates, apples in bowls of jade. Arielle reposing, lost in Plato, In the contemplation of Agni. Arielle, the cup to her lips, A laughing Thalia! Arielle! The breath of morning moves through the casement window-- Arielle taking the cool of it on her brow, And the ecstasy of the robin's song into her heart. Arielle in prayer at dawn Laying hands upon secret powers: Lead me in the path of love to my love. Arielle merging the past and the present, As light increases light-- Arielle adored-- Arielle! SOUNDS OUT OF SORROW