Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.
By RobertBridges1334 The Unillumined Verge
T
That under the shade of a cypress you ’ll find him,
And, struggling on wearily, lashed by the goad
Of pain, you will enter the black mist behind him.
And we ’ll talk of the way we have come through the valley;
Down below there a bird breaks into a trill,
And a groaning slave bends to the oar of his galley.
“Poor soul, how fate lashes him on at his rowing!
Yet it ’s joyful to live, and it ’s hard to be brave
When you watch the sun sink and the daylight is going.”
I must bid you good-by at that cross on the mountain.
See the sun glowing red, and the pulsating light
Fill the valley, and rise like the flood in a fountain!
We are comrades as ever, right here at your going;
You may rest if you will within sight of the goal,
While I must return to my oar and the rowing.
I will keep you in sight till the road makes its turning
Just over the ridge within reach of the end
Of your arduous toil,—the beginning of learning.
“Au revoir!” and “Good night!” while the twilight is creeping
Up luminous peaks, and the pale stars emerge?
Yes, I hear your faint voice: “This is rest, and like sleeping!”