Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.
Sunrise at Santa BarbaraPauline B. Barrington
T
Under a bridal robe of mother-o’-pearl,
Mother-o’-pearl flushed with rose,
Waiting.
The mountains kneel, mauve-gray
In the gray-pink sand
Of the curving shore,
Waiting.
Hangs a flat design in silver
On the expectant sky,
Waiting.
Along the Plaza, clasp
Nervous, wavering fingers,
Waiting.
Held on the backs of jade tritons,
Comes Venus Anadyomene, straight and slim,
Combing the night curls
From her ruddy hair,
Blown by the four winds
To the meeting with her lover.
Glorious in amazing strength and splendor,
Striding across the mountains
To pave a path of brazen metal
For the whiteness of her feet,
The two little feet of his bride.
He surrounds, covers, hides her
In golden madness.
Sending her waves with the morning breeze
Against the shore.
It is day!