WHEN in the body you draw near Your spirit shrinks far, far away, As hemisphere and hemisphere Alternate narrow night and day. Your spirit west, your body east— Shines never light from both at once? Darkness is in your spirit increased While 'neath your brow shine mirrored suns. Or if your body as the moon Is far and vacuous and cold, Your spirit falls like April noon Sprinkling the grass with sudden gold. But I, between your sun and moon, And hemisphere and hemisphere, Halt misdoubting which the boon I chiefly need, and which most dear— Your present spirit, absent shape, Your kissing body, distant soul. I clasp you, and lo, you escape, Seizing a part I lose the whole. Remove far off—even so to bring Invisible your self's Self back; Let me not to the substance cling And evermore the shadow lack. Else in the habitude of touch And voice and look I lose your high Spiritual mystery, and clutch Only your mortality. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE SELF-UNSEEING by THOMAS HARDY LIMERICK by OLIVER BROOK HERFORD BILL AND JOE by OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES BORDER BALLAD [OR MARCH, OR SONG], FR. THE MONASTERY by WALTER SCOTT KEARNY AT SEVEN PINES [MAY 31, 1862] by EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN STORM AT SEA (1) by ALCAEUS OF MYTILENE |