James Brunton Stephens

“ A kindred element of law and peace.
So, too, our strange unrest in this our dwelling,
The trembling that thou joinest with our mirth,
Are but thy magnet-communings compelling
Our spirits farther from the scope of earth. ”

“ Why should the Night come and take it, the wan Night that cannot enjoy it,
Bringing pale argent for golden, and changing vermilion to grey?
Why should the Night come and shadow it, entering but to destroy it? ”

“ Already here to hearts intense,
A spirit-force, transcending sense,
In heights unsealed, in deeps unstirred,
Beneath the calm, above the storm,
She waits the incorporating word
To bid her tremble into form. ”

“ Savoureth not a whit of mille-fleurescence:—
My nose is no insentient excrescence.
Thou art not beautiful, I tell thee plainly,
Oh! thou ungainliest of things ungainly;
Who thinks thee less than hideous doats insanely. ”

“ And should you ask how such a one
A mighty hunter grew,
So many flying does outsped,
So many boomers slew —
Bill owned a canine mate, to which
His victories were due.
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A brute so complex that he set
“The fancy” all agog;
Of breed that ne'er found name in exhibition catalogue!
Oh, would I had an artist man
To show them William's dog! ”

“ The loved who live ah, — God! how few they are!
I looked above; and Heaven in mercy found me
This parable of comfort in a star.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955, anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1973) . ”

“ Hark how the tremulous night-wind is passing in joy-laden sighs;
Soft through my window it comes, like the fanning of pinions angelic,
Whispering to cease from myself, and look out on the infinite skies. ”