,illustration3 ,ernest ,mc,gaffey 99,,cosmos99 99,by ,,ernest ,mc,g,a,f,f,e,y99 ,the ,philosopher ,press ,wausau ,wisconsin ,,copyrighted #aijc ,,by ,,ernest ,mc,g,a,f,f,e,y ,,dedicated ,,to ,,carter ,h4 ,,harrison ,,of ,,chicago 99,,cosmos99 99,,one99 ,i ,go search the aeons an you will ,where withered leaves of ,doubt are whirled1 ,and who hath solved this riddle1 ,life1 ,or ,death--that moves with sails unfurled1 ,beyond the straining eyes of man ,marooned upon an unknown world4 ,,ii ,nor tongue hath told1 nor vision caught ,that paradox1 ,primeval ,cause2 ,each age has had some parable ,each age succeeding marked the flaws2 ,while shifted1 with the calendar1 ,what men have termed generic laws4 ,,iii ,creed after creed behold them now ,like ,etna on ,vesuvius piled2 ,till1 scaled to earth by drifting sands ,they lie in later days reviled1 ,and pushed aside by ,time's rough hand ,as toys are1 by a peevish child4 ,,iv ,for ,priest-made doctrine reads grotesque4 ,and earthly worship is but dross2 ,whether it be your ,brahm of ,ind ,or squat and hideous ,chinese ,joss2 ,or ,jove1 aloft on cloud-capped throne ,or the pale ,christ upon his cross4 ,v ,why question still the blindfold graves ,or pluck the veil of ,isis dread8 ,over ,death's icy mystery ,a pall immutable is spread2 ,and never tear-wrung agony ,shall move the lips we loved--once dead4 ,,vi ,why grope in labyrinthian maze8 ,why palter thus with doubt and fear8 ,the ,past is but the mollusc print ,the ,future looms1 a barrier sheer2 ,the ,present centers in ,to-day ,the hope for men is ,now1 and ,here4 ,,vii ,believe no scientific cant ,that man descended from the ape2 ,gorilla-like once beat his breast ,and grew at last to human shape1 ,to watch the flocks1 and till the fields1 ,harry the seas and bruise the grape4 ,,viii ,for though enrobed in savage skins ,and though his forehead backward ran1 ,the brute was not all-dominant ,some spark revealed a ,primal plan2 ,his brain was coupled with his will ,the hairy mammal still was man4 ,,ix ,and ever as the cycles waned ,he came and went1 he rose and fell1 ,at times transformed1 as butterflies ,that rise from chrysalis in the cell2 ,and oft through hate and ignorance ,sunk downward deep as fabled ,hell4 ,x ,but through it all1 and with it all ,how-e'er the upward trending veers1 ,he fought his fight against great odds ,he peopled ice-bound hemispheres1 ,endured the sweltering ,torrid ,zones ,and stamped his impress on the years4 99,,two99 ,i ,what romance hast thy childhood known ,of ,god-made world in seven days8 ,of woven sands and swaying grass ,and bird and beast in forest ways1 ,of panoramas vast unrolled ,before a stern ,creator's gaze8 ,,ii ,of rivers ribboning the vales2 ,of plains that stretched in smoothness down1 ,and unborn seasons yet to be ,spring's violet banks1 and ,autumn's brown2 ,bright ,summer1 mistress of the sun1 ,and grey-beard ,winter's boreal crown4 ,,iii ,and when at length the scheme complete ,unfolded to the ,maker's sight1 ,how ,he1 ,almighty and divine ,said in his power1 ,let there be light6 ,gave sun and moon1 and sowed the stars ,along the furrows of the night6 ,,iv ,lo6 every nation has its tale ,and every people1 how they be2 ,whether where ,southern zephyrs loose ,the blooms from off the tamarind tree1 ,or where the six-month seasons bide ,around the cloistered ,polar sea4 ,v ,and ,science with unyielding scales ,weighs each and all of varied styles2 ,and like a ,goddess molds decrees ,oblivious both to tears or smiles2 ,points out the error1 reads the rule ,and ,god with ,nature reconciles4 ,,vi ,but who shall sift the false and true8 ,what ,oracle the rule enforce8 ,not man-made creed1 nor man-learned law ,is wise to fathom ,nature's course2 ,no sea is deeper than its bed ,no stream is higher than its source4 ,,vii ,vain hope to solve the ,infinite6 ,mere words to babble1 when they say ,thus ,science teaches1--thus our ,god-- ,thus this or that--what of it1 pray8 ,the marvel overlapping all-- ,go ask the ,sphynx of ,yesterday4 ,,viii ,we know the ,all1 and nothing know2 ,the great we ken as well as least2 ,but sum it all when we have said ,that man is different from the beast2 ,and spite of all ,theology ,the ,pagan's equal to the ,priest4 ,,ix ,and globes will lapse1 and suns expire2 ,as stars have fallen1 worlds can change2 ,forever shall the centuries roll ,and roving planets tireless range2 ,and ,life be masked in secrecy ,with ,death1 as ever1 passing strange4 ,x ,and trow not1 ,mortal1 in thy pride ,that where yon beetling column stands ,rests ,permanence2 'twill disappear ,to sink in marsh or barren lands1 ,where bitterns boom1 or sunlight stares ,across the immemorial sands4 99,,three99 ,i ,of old when man to being came ,he fashioned ,gods of brittle bone2 ,bowed down to wooden fetiches ,or worshipped idols carved from stone2 ,and1 locked in ,superstition's grasp ,for sacrifice made lives atone4 ,,ii ,and ,fear was then the ,higher ,law ,and fleshly joys the aftermath2 ,he knew no screed of ,righteousness ,and trod no straight and narrow path2 ,his ,deity a terror was ,a ,demon winged with might and wrath4 ,,iii ,and then where ,nilus dipped his feet ,by ,egypt sands1 rose temples tall ,to ,isis and ,osiris--,ptah-- ,and many a ,god foredoomed to fall2 ,where sank the shades of ,pharaoh's reign8 ,whence have they vanished1 one and all8 ,,iv ,but whiles to other years advanced ,and now by cosmic marvels won1 ,men sought remote ,pelagian shores ,where breeze and spray their tapestry spun1 ,to wait the coming of the day ,and there adore the rising sun4 ,v ,this passed2 the ,gods of ,greece and ,rome ,in splendor thronged the earth and skies2 ,jove1 with the thunders in his hand ,apollo of the star-lit eyes1 ,aurora1 ,priestess of the ,dawn ,and ,pan of haunting melodies1-- ,,vi ,and countless more2 their temples fair ,where reverent ,pagans curved the knee1 ,mid sweet1 perpetual summer stood ,while murmured as the murmuring bee1 ,the lulling sweep of listless brine ,beside the green ,a,egean sea4 ,,vii ,and merged in island-wooded calms ,by towering groves of ancient oak1 where ,triton's charging cavalry ,against the cliffs of ,britain broke1 ,with horrid rite of human blood ,the ,celtic ,druids moved and spoke4 ,,viii ,still wheeled the cycles2 still did men ,with new religions make them wise2 ,mahomet rose magnificent ,as rainbow in the eastern skies2 ,with ,seven ,heavens of ,koran taught ,and ,houris with the sloe-black eyes4 ,,ix ,brahm1 ,baal1 ,dagon1 ,moloch1 ,thor1 ,and legions more had long sufficed2 ,heavens in turn with bliss diverse ,and ,hells with ebon glaciers iced2 ,and latest on celestial scrolls ,the prophets wrote the name of ,christ4 ,x ,we need them not2 ,no6 each and all ,will load ,tradition's dusty shelf2 ,as shattered ,idols1 put away ,to lie forgot like broken delf2 ,humanity is over all6 ,and ,man's redemption in himself4 99,,four99 ,i ,the morning stars together sang ,so runs the story1 in that time1 ,when groves were loud with melody ,and ripples danced to liquid rhyme2 ,far in the embryonic spheres ,before the earth was in her prime4 ,,ii ,then first the feline-padded gales ,unleashed and prowling journeyed free1 ,to purr amid the cowering grass ,or roar in stormy jubilee1 ,or1 joining in with ,ocean1 growl ,a hoarse duet of wind and sea4 ,,iii ,and where by meadowy rushes dank ,the yellow sunbeams thick were sown1 ,and brooks flowed down through ,april ways ,o'er pebbled bar and shingly stone1 ,there first welled up in gurgling strain ,the lisping current's monotone4 ,,iv ,and oft was heard1 in forest aisles ,where rocking trees of leaves were thinned1 ,and drear ,november wandered lorn ,with wild wide eyes and hair unpinned1 ,a wailing harp of minor chords ,struck by the strong hands of the wind4 ,v ,and ,man1 through imitative art1 ,with clumsy tool and method crude1 ,copied these echoes as he might ,to soothe him in his solitude2 ,and when that other sound was dumb ,his reed-notes quavered music rude4 ,,vi ,and as the gentler graces came ,to vivify barbaric night1 ,so ,poesy1 with singing ,lyre1 ,descended from ,parnassian height1 ,with constellations aureoled ,her raiment wove of flowing light4 ,,vii ,and in ,man's heart a thrill leaped up2 ,his eye was lit by prophet gleams2 ,he sought the truth of ,when and ,how ,he voiced the lyrics of the streams2 ,his beard was tossed1 his locks were gray ,his soul beneath the spell of dreams4 ,,viii ,thus numbers came2 and ,poets lived ,to chant the glories of the ,race2 ,their rhyme on limp papyrus roll ,or etched on crumbling pillar's base1 ,has long outlived the ,kings they sung ,and conquered even ,time and ,space4 ,,ix ,aye6 vain the vaunt of ,heroes2 vain ,the deeds that once were thought sublime2 ,and vain your ,monarchs1 briefly staged ,in tinselled royal pantomime2 ,their ,house was builded on the sands ,and they unworth a random rhyme4 ,x ,vain are the works of man2 most vain ,his bubbled ,glory1 ,aye6 or ,fame2 ,more fragile than a last-year's leaf ,unnoticed of the sunset's flame2 ,and naught endures unless it stands ,linked with a deathless ,poet's name4 99,,five99 ,i ,how flourished then the lesser arts ,as man to manhood slowly grew8 ,with blackened stick from ruddy fires ,that on his cave reflections threw1 ,he scrawled the rock which sheltered him ,and thus the first rude picture drew4 ,,ii ,and catching hints from ,nature's lore ,he squeezed his colors from the clay2 ,steeped leaf and bark1 and dyed the skins ,that round about his dwelling lay2 ,and1 urged by vanity1 his cheeks ,were daubed with dash of pigments gay4 ,,iii ,so1 ever as the seasons died ,his mind expanded with his will2 ,he saw the dry leaves touched with gold ,and grass grow tawny on the hill2 ,found etchings on the ruffled streams ,and marked the sunset's hectic thrill4 ,,iv ,and dreaming thus1 with defter skill ,he fast employed his nights and days1 ,spun magic webs of chequered lights ,and limned ,october's purple haze2 ,while women's faces from his brush ,fired1 like wine1 the se'er's gaze4 ,v ,until at last was handed down ,beyond the treasure-trove of ,greece1 ,beyond the strain that ,sappho sung ,and reveries of the ,golden ,fleece1 ,the art of ,titian1 ,rubens1 ,thal1 ,and ,tintoretto's masterpiece4 ,,vi ,thus1 too1 as man with curious eye ,had noted outline1 curve1 and form1 ,in toppling surge or lofty crag ,in woman's bosom beating warm1 ,in cloudy shapes revealed on high ,intaglios of the wind and storm1-- ,,vii ,he modelled from the plastic loam2 ,on shell and boulder graved a sign2 ,chiselled the stately obelisks ,with hieroglyphics1 line on line2 ,colossal wrought his haughty ,kings ,or metal-traced the clambering vine4 ,,viii ,and many an image was his work ,and many a statuette and bust2 ,some that remain1 but most that lie ,as shards to outer darkness thrust2 ,these buried under coral sands ,those cloaked beneath forgotten dust4 ,,ix ,upon the lonely washes that stretch ,where the ,egyptian rivers croon1 ,and floats above the ,pyramids ,on tropic nights the lifeless moon1 ,the mightiest waits1--the brooding ,sphynx-- ,half-lion and half ,daemon hewn4 ,x ,so ,sculpture1 pierced in mountain sides ,or dragged from ,mythologic seas1 ,still holds a sway2 and worlds will bow ,in homage yet to such as these-- ,the noble bronze by ,phidias wrought1 ,the marbles of ,praxiteles4 99,,six99 ,i ,to those who for their country bleed ,to those who die for freedom's sake1 ,all ,hail6 for them the ,immortal dawns ,in waves of lilied silver break2 ,for them in dusky-templed night ,the eternal stars a halo make4 ,,ii ,in ,history's tome their chronicle ,an ever-living page shall be2 ,the souls who flashed like sabers drawn ,the men who died to make men free2 ,their flag in every land has flown ,their sails have whitened every sea4 ,,iii ,on gallows high they met their doom ,or breasted straight the serried spears ,of ,tyranny2 in dungeons damp ,scarred on the stones their name appears2 ,for them the flower of ,memory ,shall blossom1 watered by our tears4 ,,iv ,but ,conquest1 ,glory1 transient ,fame1 ,what baubles these to struggle for1 ,when draped in sulphurous films uprise ,the cannon-throated fiends of ,war6 ,what childish trumpery cheap as this-- ,the trophies of a ,conqueror8 ,v ,how many an army marches forth ,with bugle-note or battle-hymn1 ,to drench the soil in human gore ,and multiply ,golgothas grim2 ,and all for what8 a ,ruler's pique ,religion's call1 or ,harlot's whim4 ,,vi ,and ghastliest far among them all ,where torn and stained the thirsty sod ,with carnage reeks--where standards fly1 ,and horses gallop1 iron-shod1 ,are those remorseless mockeries ,the wars they wage in name of ,god4 ,,viii ,vague1 dim and vague1 and noiselessly1 ,the ,warrior's triumphs fade like haze2 ,and building winds have heaped the sands ,o'er monuments of martial days2 ,while ,legend throws a flickering gleam ,where the tall ,trojan towers blaze4 ,,viii ,yea6 whether sought for ,woman's face ,or1 ,conquest-seeking1 seaward poured1 ,or at the beck of ,holy ,church ,war still shall be the thing abhorred2 ,and they who by the sword would live ,shall surely perish by the sword4 ,,ix ,yet whether at ,thermopylae ,where battled the intrepid ,greek1 ,or ,waterloo--their quarry still ,the red-eyed ravening vultures seek2 ,where prowl the jackal and the fox ,and the swart raven whets his beak4 ,x ,and somewhere1 though by ,alien seas ,the tide of ,hate unceasing frets2 ,for dawn to dusk1 and dusk to dawn ,the red sun rises1 no1 nor sets1 ,save where the wraith of ,war is seen ,above her glittering bayonets4 99,,seven99 ,i ,how fared the body when the soul ,in olden days had taken flight8 ,had passed as through a shutter slips ,a trembling shaft of summer light6 ,and all that once was ,life's warm glow ,had sudden changed to dreadful night6 ,,ii ,how fared the mourners2 how the ,priest2 ,how spoken his funereal theme8 ,what dirges for the ,heroic dead ,what flowers to soften death's extreme8 ,was ,life to them a wayside ,inn ,death the beginning of a dream8 ,,iii ,we cannot know2 except by tales ,caught in the traveller's flying loom1 ,or carven granite friezes found ,or parchment penned in convent gloom2 ,or here and there1 defying ,time ,some long-dead ,emperor's giant tomb4 ,,iv ,where tower the steep ,egyptian cones ,by couriers of the storm bestrid1 ,wrapped in his blackening cerements ,sahura lies in shadow hid1 ,while billowy sand-curves rise and dash ,like surf1 against his ,pyramid4 ,v ,and on the bald ,norweyan shores ,when ,odin for the ,viking came1 ,a ship was launched1 and on it placed ,with solemn state1 the ,hero's frame2 ,the torch applied1 and sent to sea1 ,a double burial1--wave and flame4 ,,vi ,and when the ,hindu ,prince lay prone-- ,in final consecration dire ,his ,hindu ,princess followed on ,and climbed the blazing funeral pyre1 ,to stand in living sacrifice ,transfigured in her robes of fire4 ,,vii ,where the red ,indian of the ,plains ,to the ,great ,spirit bowed his head1 ,on pole-built scaffold1 ,eagle-plumed1 ,the painted warrior laid his dead2 ,beneath1 the favorite charger slain ,and by the ,chief his weapons spread4 ,,viii ,we clothe our dead in modish dress ,dust unto dust the ,preacher saith1 ,the church-bells toll1 the organ peals1 ,and mourners wait with ebbing breath2 ,oh6 grave1 this is thy mockery1 ,the weird farce-comedy of ,death4 ,,ix ,nay6 burn the shell with simplest rites2 ,scatter its ashes to the skies2 ,and on the stairways of the clouds ,in winding spirals let it rise2 ,what needs the soul of mortal garb ,whether in ,hell or ,paradise8 ,x ,aye6 lost and gone2 what cares the corse ,when ,death unfolds his sable wings1 ,whether it rest in wind-swept tree ,or where the deep-sea echo rings8 ,be laid to sleep in ,potter's ,field ,or lone ,iona's cairn of ,kings8 99,,eight99 ,i ,above unsightly city roofs ,where smoky serpents trail the sky1 ,broods ,commerce2 in her factories ,a million clacking shuttles fly2 ,where1 choked with lint1 in sickly air ,the little children droop and die4 ,,ii ,the rattling clash of jarring wheels ,against the windows echoing beats2 ,and when the pallid gas-jets flare ,where sombre night with twilight meets1 ,like flotsam on the stream of ,fate ,the toiler's myriads crowd the streets4 ,,iii ,with hiving tumult to and fro ,trade's devotees1 a hurrying mass1 ,through the long corridor of years ,in due procession rise and pass2 ,to earn their wage1 to seek their goal ,and melt1 like dew-drops on the grass4 ,,iv ,and here1 within the age of ,gain ,our forest-masted harbors shine ,with shimmering fleets2 and we go on ,to climes afar of palm and vine1 ,and in the warp of ,traffic weave ,a sinister and base design1 ,v ,of mild and hapless ,islanders ,who fall before our soldiers' aim2 ,of broken faith--of sophistries-- ,of sin1 of blood-shed1 and of shame2 ,oh6 ,commerce1 ,commerce1 who shall tell ,the crimes committed in thy name4 ,,vi ,turn1 turn my ,fancy1 inland borne ,where ,nature's solace shall not fail ,to ease the heart2 view skyey seas ,where cloud armadas1 sail on sail1 ,manned by the winds go warping down ,below the far horizon's trail4 ,,vii ,and as the budding willows blow ,when ,march comes whirling past the lanes1 ,with bird-note wild1 and fifing winds ,and undertone of sibilant rains1 ,on slopes where ,winter's garment melts ,blue as the sea are violet stains4 ,,viii ,where cattle seek the shaded pools ,and silence folds the sun-burned lands1 ,her auburn tresses backward flung ,mid-,summer1 like to ,ceres stands1 ,beside the fields of waving grain ,with harvest-apples in her hands4 ,,ix ,and stealthily through winnowing dusk ,i see the curling smoke ascend1 ,where lie the farms2 and evermore ,where hope1 and health1 and manhood blend2 ,while stubble shorn and pastures bare ,proclaim the waning season's end4 ,x ,and as beyond the naked hills ,the chill ,november sunset dies1 ,and cloudward now a phalanx swims ,where guttural honking fills the skies1 ,black-sculptured on approaching night ,and southward bound1 the wild-goose flies4 99,,nine99 ,i ,behold the kindred human types ,tribe1 ,sept1 and class1 ,race1 ,caste1 and ,clan2 ,red1 ,black and ,yellow2 ,white and ,brown2 ,processions of ,primordial ,man ,that wax apace1 and stream across ,in one unending caravan4 ,,ii ,the ,fisher-,people with their shells ,and dwellers of the ,age of ,stone2 ,the ,kirghiz of the ,western ,steppes ,the ,greek1 the ,turk1 the ,mongol shown1 ,the ,goth1 the ,frank1--,i see them pass ,like flash-lights by a mirror thrown4 ,,iii ,so1 too1 the ,arab1 burnoose clad ,who braves the stifling ,simoon dry1 ,adrift upon ,saharan tides ,his awkward camels lurching high1 ,long1 lank1 uncouth1 but staunch as ,death1 ,ships of the ,desert1 sailing by4 ,,iv ,note the ,caucasian in his pride ,who prates of moldy pedigrees2 ,a mushroom he1 compared in ,eld ,to the impassive1 sly ,chinese2 ,their records co-extant with ,time ,and swarming by the sundown seas4 ,v ,each comes and goes2 as came and went ,rameses' millions2 in their day ,what boast was made of ,egypt's ,kings ,how ,god-like seemed their valorous play2 ,but cynic years dispersed their line ,swift hurried with the winds away4 ,,vi ,aye6 even as motes they had their grace ,for a brief moment1 son and sire2 ,then passed2 as foam that sinks at sea ,or chords which flee the ,minstrel's lyre2 ,where rot the walls by ,sidon raised8 ,and where the long-lost hulls of ,tyre8 ,,vii ,and all men listen in their turn ,to the same ,sirens2 greed of ,gain-- ,love--,hate--,revenge--the lust of ,power-- ,and craze o'er fellow-man to reign-- ,ambition's lure--these intertwine ,like links that form an endless chain4 ,,viii ,since ,power is but the instant's clutch ,and naught so trivial as a ,name1 ,what crucial proof shall fix men's worth ,on lasting tablets write their claim2 ,so that their memories may fill ,a niche within the walls of ,fame8 ,,ix ,the test is not of ,birth nor ,race ,since each is worthy of his hire2 ,it rests in what men do for men ,uplifted by the soul's desire1 ,to tread ,life's fiery furnaces ,and save their brothers from the fire4 ,x ,and ranging far and searching deep ,however though the annals be1 ,we find but one nigh faultless man ,there was none other such as ,he2 ,the ,jew who taught and practiced ,love ,the man who walked by ,galilee4 99,,ten99 ,i ,enough my ,muse2 thy message cast ,as stone from out a sling is hurled1 ,let drop to night2 or re-appear ,where morning's gathering grey is pearled1 ,and the bent sun1 like ,sisyphus1 ,toils laboring up the underworld4 ,,ii ,let be2 thy wisdom knoweth well ,the just degrees of right and wrong2 ,although mayhap unmarked by men ,shall fall the echoes of thy song2 ,unheeded by the pilgrim years ,unrecked of1 by the heedless throng4 ,,iii ,and yet before the highways part ,and thou and ,i in darkness dwell1 ,do thou thy swiftest ,herald send ,and this as final warning tell2 ',banish all hope of gilded ,heaven ,and laugh to scorn the fires of ,hell'4 ,,iv ,phantasmal dance those dual sprites ,mere witch-craft mummeries of the brain2 ,the lying sorcery of the ,priests ,a worldly influence to retain2 ,where shalt thou go8 ,what quest is thine8 ,where falls the single drop of rain8 ,v ,but ,courage1 ,faith1 and ,constancy1 ,the cardinal virtues as ,i deem1 ,may well be worshipped1 as indeed ,the lilies of the soul they seem2 ,undying in their fragrance rare ,and glassed upon a sacred stream4 ,,vi ,know thou1 the ,ideal ,harmony ,that fills all space1 below1 above1 ,is not in ,creed1 nor ,form1 nor ,rite ,nor in those things thou dreamest of2 ,but holds within its breadth and scope ,the sole and only note of ,love4 ,,vii ,reject all ,creeds2 and yet in each ,seek such material as thou can1 ,with here a tenet1 there a thought ,whether it sprang from ,christ or ,pan2 ,and make the key-stone of thy arch ,the common brotherhood of ,man4 ,,viii ,and striving thus1 a happier creed ,in time to come shall burst its bud1 ,the pure air cleared of battle-smoke ,and war no more by field and flood2 ,where men can lift up guiltless hands ,uncrimsoned by a brother's blood4 ,,ix ,when nevermore in calm or storm ,shall hawk-like hover on the seas1 ,the canvas of opposing ships ,their pennants floating to the breeze2 ,and golden hopes will supersede ,the apples of ,hesperides4 ,x ,when man-emancipated man ,through loftier purpose wins control2 ,with ,justice as his only ,god ,to reign supreme o'er heart and soul2 ,and ,love1 sun-like1 illuminates ,the one1 the true1 the perfect whole4 99,,notes ,,to ,,cosmos99 ,notes to ,cosmos ,certain stanzas once intended for the original are here given4 ,they are set down according to the chapters in which they were to have appeared4 ,chapter ,two ,of trees that stirred in early ,spring ,the slow sap moving in their veins2 ,of flowers that dyed the woodland slopes ,the primrose pale1 and daisy-chains2 ,sun-kissed betimes1 or overmourned ,by shimmery tears of sobbing rains4 ,chapter ,four ,and all night long the restless sea ,against its barriers rose and fell1 ,till grey-eyed ,dawn1 by lonely sands ,saw flash and fade the last broad swell1 ,before her there the ebb-tide's gleam ,and at her feet a murmuring shell4 ,and then were heard the ,elder ,bards ,in full1 ,prophetic tone sublime1 ,their eyes ablaze with ecstacy ,and on their lips the living rhyme2 ,king-honored in an age of ,kings ,and on their beards the frosts of ,time4 ,chapter ,eight ,and when a-down the bare brown lanes ,pattered the swift1 white feet of ,spring1 ,i saw the velvet-golden flash ,that marked the yellow-hammer's wing ,a-curve on high2 and later heard ,the robin1 and the blue-bird sing4 ,far seaward on unnumbered isles ,mid scent of spice and drowsy balm1 ,the lotos-eating ,islanders ,lay soothed to sleep by utter calm2 ,low at their feet the pulsing tides ,and o'er their heads the tufted palm4 ,chapter ,nine ,stark warriors of the ,age of ,stone ,with pristine valor all elate1 ,who sought and slew the great ,cave ,bear ,and robbed the tigress of her mate2 ,and1 weaponed with the ax and spear1 ,defied the towering mammoth's hate4 ,and slant-eyed ,mongols1 yellow-skinned1 ,who traversed ,western ,steppes afar1 ,drank mare's milk1 and observed their flocks ,white-clustered 'neath the ,morning ,star2 ,or1 sallying forth with lance and bow ,engaged in fierce ,nomadic war4 ,on vine-clad hills was found the ,gaul2 ,above him glistened ,alpine snows3 ,and lower down where valleys lay ,loved of the lily and the rose1 ,by moon-light tranced1 the nightingale ,sang silvery-sweet adagios4