Al Aaraaf: Part 1
PART
I
O!
nothing
earthly
save
the
ray
(Thrown
back
from
flowers)
of
Beauty's
eye,
As
in
those
gardens
where
the
day
Springs
from
the
gems
of
Circassy-
O!
nothing
earthly
save
the
thrill
Of
melody
in
woodland
rill-
Or
(music
of
the
passion-hearted)
Joy's
voice
so
peacefully
departed
That
like
the
murmur
in
the
shell,
Its
echo
dwelleth
and
will
dwell-
Oh,
nothing
of
the
dross
of
ours-
Yet
all
the
beauty-
all
the
flowers
That
list
our
Love,
and
deck
our
bowers-
Adorn
yon
world
afar,
afar-
The
wandering
star.
'Twas
a
sweet
time
for
Nesace-
for
there
Her
world
lay
lolling
on
the
golden
air,
Near
four
bright
suns-
a
temporary
rest-
An
oasis
in
desert
of
the
blest.
Away-
away-
'mid
seas
of
rays
that
roll
Empyrean
splendor
o'er
th'
unchained
soul-
The
soul
that
scarce
(the
billows
are
so
dense)
Can
struggle
to
its
destin'd
eminence,-
To
distant
spheres,
from
time
to
time,
she
rode
And
late
to
ours,
the
favor'd
one
of
God-
But,
now,
the
ruler
of
an
anchor'd
realm,
She
throws
aside
the
sceptre-
leaves
the
helm,
And,
amid
incense
and
high
spiritual
hymns,
Laves
in
quadruple
light
her
angel
limbs.
Now
happiest,
loveliest
in
yon
lovely
Earth,
Whence
sprang
the
"Idea
of
Beauty"
into
birth,
(Falling
in
wreaths
thro'
many
a
startled
star,
Like
woman's
hair
'mid
pearls,
until,
afar,
It
lit
on
hills
Achaian,
and
there
dwelt)
She
looked
into
Infinity-
and
knelt.
Rich
clouds,
for
canopies,
about
her
curled-
Fit
emblems
of
the
model
of
her
world-
Seen
but
in
beauty-
not
impeding
sight
Of
other
beauty
glittering
thro'
the
light-
A
wreath
that
twined
each
starry
form
around,
And
all
the
opal'd
air
in
color
bound.
All
hurriedly
she
knelt
upon
a
bed
Of
flowers:
of
lilies
such
as
rear'd
the
head
On
the
fair
Capo
Deucato,
and
sprang
So
eagerly
around
about
to
hang
Upon
the
flying
footsteps
of-
deep
pride-
Of
her
who
lov'd
a
mortal-
and
so
died.
The
Sephalica,
budding
with
young
bees,
Upreared
its
purple
stem
around
her
knees:-
And
gemmy
flower,
of
Trebizond
misnam'd-
Inmate
of
highest
stars,
where
erst
it
sham'd
All
other
loveliness:-
its
honied
dew
(The
fabled
nectar
that
the
heathen
knew)
Deliriously
sweet,
was
dropp'd
from
Heaven,
And
fell
on
gardens
of
the
unforgiven
In
Trebizond-
and
on
a
sunny
flower
So
like
its
own
above
that,
to
this
hour,
It
still
remaineth,
torturing
the
bee
With
madness,
and
unwonted
reverie:
In
Heaven,
and
all
its
environs,
the
leaf
And
blossom
of
the
fairy
plant
in
grief
Disconsolate
linger-
grief
that
hangs
her
head,
Repenting
follies
that
full
long
have
Red,
Heaving
her
white
breast
to
the
balmy
air,
Like
guilty
beauty,
chasten'd
and
more
fair:
Nyctanthes
too,
as
sacred
as
the
light
She
fears
to
perfume,
perfuming
the
night:
And
Clytia,
pondering
between
many
a
sun,
While
pettish
tears
adown
her
petals
run:
And
that
aspiring
flower
that
sprang
on
Earth,
And
died,
ere
scarce
exalted
into
birth,
Bursting
its
odorous
heart
in
spirit
to
wing
Its
way
to
Heaven,
from
garden
of
a
king:
And
Valisnerian
lotus,
thither
flown"
From
struggling
with
the
waters
of
the
Rhone:
And
thy
most
lovely
purple
perfume,
Zante!
Isola
d'oro!-
Fior
di
Levante!
And
the
Nelumbo
bud
that
floats
for
ever
With
Indian
Cupid
down
the
holy
river-
Fair
flowers,
and
fairy!
to
whose
care
is
given
To
bear
the
Goddess'
song,
in
odors,
up
to
Heaven:
"Spirit!
that
dwellest
where,
In
the
deep
sky,
The
terrible
and
fair,
In
beauty
vie!
Beyond
the
line
of
blue-
The
boundary
of
the
star
Which
turneth
at
the
view
Of
thy
barrier
and
thy
bar-
Of
the
barrier
overgone
By
the
comets
who
were
cast
From
their
pride
and
from
their
throne
To
be
drudges
till
the
last-
To
be
carriers
of
fire
(The
red
fire
of
their
heart)
With
speed
that
may
not
tire
And
with
pain
that
shall
not
part-
Who
livest-
that
we
know-
In
Eternity-
we
feel-
But
the
shadow
of
whose
brow
What
spirit
shall
reveal?
Tho'
the
beings
whom
thy
Nesace,
Thy
messenger
hath
known
Have
dream'd
for
thy
Infinity
A
model
of
their
own-
Thy
will
is
done,
O
God!
The
star
hath
ridden
high
Thro'
many
a
tempest,
but
she
rode
Beneath
thy
burning
eye;
And
here,
in
thought,
to
thee-
In
thought
that
can
alone
Ascend
thy
empire
and
so
be
A
partner
of
thy
throne-
By
winged
Fantasy,
My
embassy
is
given,
Till
secrecy
shall
knowledge
be
In
the
environs
of
Heaven."
She
ceas'd-
and
buried
then
her
burning
cheek
Abash'd,
amid
the
lilies
there,
to
seek
A
shelter
from
the
fervor
of
His
eye;
For
the
stars
trembled
at
the
Deity.
She
stirr'd
not-
breath'd
not-
for
a
voice
was
there
How
solemnly
pervading
the
calm
air!
A
sound
of
silence
on
the
startled
ear
Which
dreamy
poets
name
"the
music
of
the
sphere."
Ours
is
a
world
of
words:
Quiet
we
call
"Silence"-
which
is
the
merest
word
of
all.
All
Nature
speaks,
and
ev'n
ideal
things
Flap
shadowy
sounds
from
visionary
wings-
But
ah!
not
so
when,
thus,
in
realms
on
high
The
eternal
voice
of
God
is
passing
by,
And
the
red
winds
are
withering
in
the
sky:-
"What
tho
'in
worlds
which
sightless
cycles
run,
Linked
to
a
little
system,
and
one
sun-
Where
all
my
love
is
folly
and
the
crowd
Still
think
my
terrors
but
the
thunder
cloud,
The
storm,
the
earthquake,
and
the
ocean-wrath-
(Ah!
will
they
cross
me
in
my
angrier
path?)
What
tho'
in
worlds
which
own
a
single
sun
The
sands
of
Time
grow
dimmer
as
they
run,
Yet
thine
is
my
resplendency,
so
given
To
bear
my
secrets
thro'
the
upper
Heaven!
Leave
tenantless
thy
crystal
home,
and
fly,
With
all
thy
train,
athwart
the
moony
sky-
Apart-
like
fire-flies
in
Sicilian
night,
And
wing
to
other
worlds
another
light!
Divulge
the
secrets
of
thy
embassy
To
the
proud
orbs
that
twinkle-
and
so
be
To
ev'ry
heart
a
barrier
and
a
ban
Lest
the
stars
totter
in
the
guilt
of
man!"
Up
rose
the
maiden
in
the
yellow
night,
The
single-mooned
eve!-
on
Earth
we
plight
Our
faith
to
one
love-
and
one
moon
adore-
The
birth-place
of
young
Beauty
had
no
more.
As
sprang
that
yellow
star
from
downy
hours
Up
rose
the
maiden
from
her
shrine
of
flowers,
And
bent
o'er
sheeny
mountains
and
dim
plain
Her
way,
but
left
not
yet
her
Therasaean
reign.
