The first Day's Night had come - And grateful that a thing So terrible - had been endured - I told my Soul to sing - She said her strings were snapt - Her Bow - to atoms blown - And so to mend her - gave me work Until another Morn - And then - a Day as huge As Yesterdays in pairs, Unrolled it's horror in my face - Until it blocked my eyes - My Brain - begun to laugh - I mumbled - like a fool - And tho' 'tis Years ago - that Day - My Brain keeps giggling - still. And Something's odd - within - That person that I was - And this One - do not feel the same - Could it be Madness - this? ___ The Color of the Grave is Green - The Outer Grave - I mean - You would not know it from the Field - Except it own a Stone - To help the fond - to find it - Too infinite asleep To stop and tell them where it is - But just a Daisy - deep - The Color of the Grave is white - The outer Grave - I mean - You would not know it from the Drifts - In Winter - till the Sun - Has furrowed out the Aisles - Then - higher than the Land The little Dwelling Houses rise Where Each - has left a friend - The Color of the Grave within - The Duplicate - I mean - Not all the Snows c'd make it white - Not all the Summers - Green - You've seen the Color - maybe - Upon a Bonnet bound - When that you met it with before - The Ferret - cannot find - ___ 'Twas like a Maelstrom, with a notch, That nearer, every Day, Kept narrowing it's boiling Wheel Until the Agony Toyed coolly with the final inch Of your delirious Hem - And you dropt, lost, When something broke - And let you from a Dream - As if a Goblin with a Gauge - Kept measuring the Hours - Until you felt your Second Weigh, helpless, in his Paws - And not a Sinew - stirred - could help, And sense was setting numb - When God - remembered - and the Fiend Let go, then, Overcome - As if your Sentence stood - pronounced - And you were frozen led From Dungeon's luxury of Doubt To Gibbets, and the Dead - And when the Film had stitched your eyes A Creature gasped "Reprieve"! Which Anguish was the utterest - then - To perish, or to live? ___ I gave myself to Him - And took Himself, for Pay - The Solemn Contract of a Life Was ratified, this way - The Wealth might disappoint - Myself a poorer prove Than this great Purchaser suspect, The Daily Own - of Love Depreciate the Vision - But till the Merchant buy - How Fable - in the Isles of spice - The subtle Cargoes - lie - At least - 'tis Mutual - Risk - Some - found it - Mutual Gain - Sweet Debt of Life - Each Night to owe - Insolvent - every Noon - ___ Sunset at Night - is natural - But Sunset on the Dawn Reverses Nature - Master - So Midnight's - due - at Noon - Eclipses be - predicted - And Science bows them in - But do One face us suddenly - Jehovah's Watch - is wrong - ___ We grow accustomed to the Dark - When Light is put away - As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp To witness her Good bye - A Moment - We uncertain step For newness of the night - Then - fit our Vision to the Dark - And meet the Road - erect - And so of larger - Darknesses - Those Evenings of the Brain - When not a Moon disclose a sign - Or Star - come out - within - The Bravest - grope a little - And sometimes hit a Tree Directly in the Forehead - But as they learn to see - Either the Darkness alters - Or something in the sight Adjusts itself to Midnight - And Life steps almost straight. ___ You'll know it - as you know 'tis Noon - By Glory - As you do the Sun - By Glory - As you will in Heaven - Know God the Father - and the Son. By intuition, Mightiest Things Assert themselves - and not by terms - "I'm Midnight" - need the Midnight say - "I'm Sunrise" - Need the Majesty? Omnipotence - had not a Tongue - His lisp - is Lightning - and the Sun - His Conversation - with the Sea - "How shall you know"? Consult your Eye! ___ A Charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld - The Lady dare not lift her Veil For fear it be dispelled - But peers beyond her mesh - And wishes - and denies - Lest Interview - annul a want That Image - satisfies - ___ If I may have it, when it's dead, I'll be contented - so - If just as soon as Breath is out It shall belong to me - Until they lock it in the Grave, 'Tis Bliss I cannot weigh - For tho' they lock Thee in the Grave, Myself - can own the key - Think of it Lover! I and Thee Permitted - face to face to be - After a Life - a Death - we'll say - For Death was That - And This - is Thee - I'll tell Thee All - how Bald it grew - How Midnight felt, at first - to me - How all the Clocks stopped in the World - And Sunshine pinched me - 'Twas so cold - Then how the Grief got sleepy - some - As if my soul were deaf and dumb - Just making signs - across - to Thee - That this way - thou could'st notice me - I'll tell you how I tried to keep A smile, to show you, when this Deep All Waded - We look back for Play, At those Old Times - in Calvary, Forgive me, if the Grave come slow - For Coveting to look at Thee - Forgive me, if to stroke thy frost Outvisions Paradise! ___ I read my sentence - steadily - Reviewed it with my eyes, To see that I made no mistake In it's extremest clause - The Date, and manner, of the shame - And then the Pious Form That "God have mercy" on the Soul The Jury voted Him - I made my soul familiar - with her extremity - That at the last, it should not be a novel Agony - But she, and Death, acquainted - Meet tranquilly, as friends - Salute, and pass, without a Hint - And there, the Matter ends - ___ A Murmur in the Trees - to note - Not loud enough - for Wind - A star - not far enough to seek - Nor near enough - to find - A long - long Yellow - on the Lawn - A Hubbub - as of feet - Not audible - as Our's - to Us - But dapperer - more sweet - A Hurrying Home of little Men To Houses unperceived - All this - and more - if I should tell - Would never be believed - Of Robins in the Trundle bed How many I espy Whose Nightgowns could not hide the Wings - Although I heard them try - But then I promised ne'er to tell - How could I break My word? So go your way - and I'll go Mine - No fear you'll miss the Road. ___ It is dead - Find it - Out of sound - Out of sight - "Happy"? Which is wiser - You, or the Wind? "Conscious"? Wont you ask that - Of the low Ground? "Homesick"? Many met it - Even through them - This Cannot testify - Themself - as dumb - ___ Not in this World to see his face - Sounds long - until I read the place Where this - is said to be But just the Primer - to a life - Unopened - rare - Upon the Shelf - Clasped yet - to Him - and me - And yet - My Primer suits me so I would not choose - a Book to know Than that - be sweeter wise - Might some one else - so learned - be - And leave me - just my A - B - C - Himself - could have the Skies - ___ I found the words to every thought I ever had - but One - And that - defies me - As a Hand did try to chalk the Sun To Races - nurtured in the Dark - How would your own - begin? Can Blaze be shown in Cochineal - Or Noon - in Mazarin? ___ I never felt at Home - Below - And in the Handsome Skies I shall not feel at Home - I know - I dont like Paradise - Because it's Sunday - all the time - And Recess - never comes - And Eden'll be so lonesome Bright Wednesday Afternoons - If God could make a visit - Or ever took a Nap - So not to see us - but they say Himself - a Telescope Perennial beholds us - Myself would run away From Him - and Holy Ghost - and All - But there's the "Judgement Day"! ___ The Body grows without - The more convenient way - That if the Spirit - like to hide It's Temple stands, alway, Ajar - secure - inviting - It never did betray The Soul that asked it's shelter In solemn honesty ___ I had been hungry, all the Years - My Noon had Come - to dine - I trembling drew the Table near - And touched the Curious Wine - 'Twas this on Tables I had seen - When turning, hungry, Home I looked in Windows, for the Wealth I could not hope - for Mine - I did not know the ample Bread - 'Twas so unlike the Crumb The Birds and I, had often shared In Nature's - Dining Room - The Plenty hurt me - 'twas so new - Myself felt ill - and odd - As Berry - of a Mountain Bush - Transplanted - to a Road - Nor was I hungry - so I found That Hunger - was a way Of persons Outside Windows - The entering - takes away - ___