coloured growth of and veiled the image of in the basin of the blood by v ic the sacrifice of er above the altar held the morning sun a on its heart below face hid in hands the maid lay er beyond the hills of ao bears witness to the truth and ao hath told the men of thence the tale comes westward o er the peaks to india by v ic the dove of the freed dove flew to the s tower � fled from the slaughter of kings � and the thorns have covered the city of dove � dove � oh dove little white traitor with woe on thy wings the of rode under the wall he set in his bosom a dove of flight � if she return be sure that i fall dove � dove � oh dove pressed to his heart in the thick of the fight fire the palace the fort and the keep � leave to the no spoil at all in the flame of the palace lie down and sleep if the dove if the dove � if the dove come and alone to the palace wall the kings of the north they were scattered the of he them all hot from slaughter he stooped at the ford and the dove � the dove � oh the dove she thought of her on the palace wall by co by ic the dove of she opened her wings and she flew away � fluttered away beyond recall she came to the palace at break of day dove � oh dove flying so fast for a kingdom s fall the queens of they slept in slept in the flame of the palace old � to save their honour from shame and the dove � the dove � oh the dove she to her young where the smoke rolled the of rode far and fleet followed as fast as a horse could fly he came and the palace was black at his feet and the dove � the dove � the dove alone in the sky so the dove flew to the s tower � fled from the slaughter of kings so the thorns covered the city of and was lost for a white dove s wings dove � oh dove is lost from the roll of the kings by v ic the explanation love and death once ceased their strife at the tavern of man s life called for wine and threw � alas � each his quiver on the grass when the bout was o er they found mingled arrows the ground hastily they gathered then each the loves and lives of men ah the dawn deceived mingled arrows each one death s dread was stored with the shafts he most love s light quiver groaned beneath headed of death thus it was they wrought our woe at the tavern long ago tell me do our masters know blindly as they fly old men love while young men die by v ic an answer a rose in on the garden path cried out to god murmured his wrath because a sudden wind at twilight s hush had snapped her stem alone of all the bush and god who hears both sun dried dust and sun made answer whispering to that one sister in that thou we did not well � what voices thou when thy fell and the rose answered in that evil hour a voice said father wherefore falls the flower for lo the very are still and a voice answered son by s will then softly as a rain mist on the came to the rose the answer of the lord sister before we smote the dark in twain ere yet the stars saw one another plain time tide and space we bound unto the task that thou fall and such an one should ask the withered flower all content died as they die whose days are innocent while he who questioned why the flower fell caught hold of god and saved his soul from hell by co by v ic the gift of the sea the dead child lay in the and the widow watched beside and her mother slept and the channel swept the gale in the teeth of the tide but the mother laughed at all i have lost my man in the sea and the child is dead be still she said what more can ye do to me the widow watched the dead and the candle low and she tried to sing the passing song that bids the poor soul go and mary take you now she sang that lay against my heart and mary smooth your to night but she could not say depart by ic the gift of the sea then came a cry from the sea but the sea blinded the glass and heard ye nothing mother she said tis the child that waits to pass and the nodding mother sighed tis a in the for why should the soul cry out that never knew of sin o feet i have held in my hand o hands at my heart to catch how should they know the road to go and how should they lift the latch they laid a sheet to the door with the little that it might not hurt from the cold or the dirt but the crying would not stop the widow lifted the latch and strained her eyes to see and opened the door on the bitter shore to let the soul go free by v ic m the gift of the sea there was neither glimmer nor ghost there was neither spirit nor spark and heard ye nothing mother she said tis crying for me in the dark and the nodding mother sighed tis sorrow makes ye dull have ye yet to learn the cry of the or the wail of the wind blown the are 