The spirits of May intervene,
And a vapor of azure distills
Like a breath on the opaline green.

Only a moment!--and then
The chill and the shadow decline,
On the eyes of rejuvenate men
That were wide and divine.




THE MOON-PATH


The full, clear moon uprose and spread
Her cold, pale splendor o'er the sea;
A light-strewn path that seemed to lead
Outward into eternity.
Between the darkness and the gleam
An old-world spell encompassed me:
Methought that in a godlike dream
I trod upon the sea.

And lo! upon that glimmering road,
In shining companies unfurled,
The trains of many a primal god,
The monsters of the elder world;
Strange creatures that, with silver wings,
Scarce touched the ocean's thronging floor,