dreams & dust-第12节
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i》Flames through the dust；
And dares；
And flings you back your scorn；
Come； face to face； and slay me if you will；
But not until you've felt the weight
Of all betricked humanity's contempt
In one bold blow！
Speak forth a Reason； and I will answer it；
Yes； to your faces I will answer it；
Come garmented in flesh and I will fight with you；
Yes； in your faces will I smite you； gods；
Coward gods and tricksters that set traps
In paradise！
Far gods that hedge yourselves about with silence
And with distance；
That mock men from the unscalable escarpments of
your Heavens。〃
Thus I raved； being mad。
I had no sooner finished speaking than I felt
The darkness fluttered by approaching feet；
And the silence was burned through by trembling
flames of sound；
And I was 'ware that Something stood by me。
And with a shout I leapt and grasped that Being；
And the Thing grasped me。
We came to wrestling grips；
And back and forth we swayed；
Hand seeking throat； and crook'd knee seeking
To encrook unwary leg；
And spread toes grasping the uneven ground；
The strained breast muscles cracked and creaked；
The sweat ran in my eyes；
The plagued breath sobbed and whistled through
my throat；
I tasted blood； and strangled； but still struggled
on
The stars above me danced in swarms like yellow
bees；
The shaken moonlight writhed upon the rocks；
But at the last I felt his breathing weaker grow；
The tense limbs grow less tense；
And with a bursting cry I bent his head right
back；
Back； back； until
I heard his neck bones snap；
His spine crunched in my grip；
I flung him to the earth and knelt upon his breast
And listened till the fluttering pulse was stilled。
Man； god； or devil； I had wrenched the life from
him！
And lo！even as he died
The moonlight failed above the vale；
And somehow； sure； I know now how！
Between the rifted rocks the great Sun struck
A finger down the cliff； and that red beam
Lay sharp across the face of him that I had slain；
And in that light I read the answer of the silent
gods
Unto my cursed…out prayer；
For he that lay upon the ground wasI！
I understood the lesson then；
It was myself that lay there dead；
Yes； I had slain my Self。
THE REBEL
No doubt the ordered worlds speed on
With purpose in their wings；
No doubt the ordered songs are sweet
Each worthy angel sings；
And doubtless it is wise to heed
The ordered words of Kings；
But how the heart leaps up to greet
The headlong； rebel flight；
Whenas some reckless meteor
Blazes across the night！
Some cometByronLucifer
Has dared to Be； and fight！
No doubt but it is safe to dwell
Where ordered duties are；
No doubt the cherubs earn their wage
Who wind each ticking star；
No doubt the system is quite right！
Sane； ordered； regular；
But how the rebel fires the soul
Who dares the strong gods' ire！
Each Byron！Shelley！Lucifer！
And all the outcast choir
That chant when some Prometheus
Leaps up to steal Jove's fire！
THE CHILD AND THE MILL
BETTER a pauper； penniless； asleep on the kindly
sod
Better a gipsy； houseless； but near to the heart
of God；
That beats for ears not dulled by the clanking
wheels of care
Better starvation and freedom； hope and the good
fresh air
Than death to the Something in him that was
born to laugh and dream；
That was kin to the idle lilies and the ripples of
the stream。
For out of the dreams of childhood； that careless
come and go；
The boy gains strength； unknowing； that the Man
will prove and know。
But these fools with their lies and their dollars；
their mills and their bloody hands；
Who make a god of a wheel； who worship their
whirring bands；
They are flinging the life of a people； raw； to the
brute machines。
Dull…eyed； weary； and oldold in his early teens
Stunted and stupid and twisted； marred in the
mills of grief；
Can your factories fashion a Man of this thing
a Man and a Chief？
Dumb is the heart of him now； at the time when
his heart should sing
Wasters of body and brain； what race will the
future bring？
What of the nation's nerve whenas swift crises
come？
What of the brawn that should heave the guns on
the beck of the drum？
Thieves of body and soul； who can neither think
nor feel；
Swine…eyed priests of little false gods of gold and
steel；
Bow to your obscene altars； worship your loud
mills then！
Feed to Moloch and Baal the brawn and brains
of men
But silent and watchful and hidden forever over
all
The masters brood of those Mills that 〃grind
exceeding small。〃
And it needs no occult art nor magic to foreshow
That a people who sow defeat they will reap the
thing they sow。
〃SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI〃
CONQUERORS leonine； lordly；
Princes and vaunting kings；
Ye are drunk with the sound of your braggart
trumps
But lo！ ye are little things！
Earth 。 。 。 it is charnel with monarchs！
And the puffs of dust that start
Where your war steeds stamp with their ringing hoofs
Were each some warrior's heart。
Peoples imperial； mighty；
Masterful； challenging fate；
The tread of your cohorts shakes the hills
But lo！ ye are not great！
Nations that swarm and murmur；
Ye are moths that flutter and climb
Ye are whirling gnats； ye are swirling bees；
Tossed in the winds of time！
Earth that is flushed with glory；
A marvelous world ye are！
But lo！ in the midst of a million stars
Ye are only one pale star！
A breath stirs the dark abysses。 。 。 。
The deeps below the deep
Are troubled and vexed 。 。 。 and a thousand worlds
Fall on eternal sleep！
THE COMRADE
I
HATH not man at his noblest
An air of something more than man？
A hint of grace immortal；
Born of his greatly daring to assist the gods
In conquering these shaggy wastes；
These desert worlds；
And planting life and order in these stars？
So Woman at her best：
Her eyes are bright with visions and with dreams
That triumph over time；
Her plumed thought； wing for wing； is mate with
his。
II
The world rolls on from dream to dream；
And 'neath the vast impersonal revenges of its
going；
Crushed fools that cried defeat
Lie dead amid the dust they prophesied
Ye doubters of man's larger destiny；
Ye that despair；
Look backward down the vistaed years；
And all is battleand all victory！
Man fought； to be a man！
Through painful centuries the slow beast fought；
Blinded and baffled； fought to gain his soul；
Wild； hairy； shag； and feared of shadows；
Yet the clouds
Made him strange signals that he puzzled o'er；
Beast； child； and ape；
And yet the winds harped to him； and the sea
Rolled in upon his consciousness
Its tides of wonder and romance；
Uncouth and caked with mire；
And yet the stars said something to him； and the
sun
Declared itself a god；
The lagging cycles turned at last
The pictures into thought；
Thought flowered in soul；
But； oh； the myriad weary years
Ere Caliban was Shakespeare's self
And Darwin's ape had Darwin's brain！
The battling； battling； and the steep ascent；
The fight to hold the little gained；
The loss； the doubt； the shaken heart；
The stubborn； groping slow recovery！
But looking backward toward the dim beginnings；
You that despair；
Hath he not climbed and conquered？
Look backward and all's Victory！
What coward looks forward and foresees defeat？
III
Who climbed beside him； and who fought
And suffered and was glad？
Is she a lesser thing than he；
Who stained the slopes with bloody feet； or stood
Beside him on some hard…won eminence of hope
Exulting as the bold dawn swept
A harper hand along the ringing hills？
Flesh of his flesh； and of his soul the soul；
Hath she not fought； hath she not climbed？
And how is she a lesser thing？
Nay； if she ever was
'Twas we that made her so； who called her queen
But kept her slave。
IV
Had she not courage for the fight？
Hath she not courage for the years to come？
Hath she not courage who descends alone
（How pitifully alone； except for Love！）
Where man's thought even falters that would
follow；
Into the shadowy abyss
（Through vast and murmurous caverns dark with
crowding dread
And terrible with hovering wings）；
To battle there with Death？to battle
There with Death； and wrest from him；
O Conqueror and Mother；
Life！
V
Hath she too long dwelt dream…bound in the world
of love；
Unconscious of the sterner throes；
The more austere； impersonal； wide faith；
The urge that drives Christs
