Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-11-28


grew
In bis walled garden of Jerusalem.
Vintage of heaven, its rare aroma stole,
Like the remembered music of dream,
Through all his senses, yearning with de-
light.
And, 10 ! from out its living depths
flame
Flashed suddenly up, and flushed his
royal face
Prophetic promise Of returning Youth.
lie would have drank, but something
stayed his hand,
Some dark forebOding that he had not done
All that a wise man should to know the
truth
Perhaps he had misheard the unknown
voice
That spake from ont the cloud-the words
were strange;
Perhaps his willy servants iiattered him,
Pulled up with self-importance. lie would
see.
30 ver he cried, "who minister to me
Spifits and men and creatures of the earth
Tell me if there be any absent now,
Many, OF one, for commanded all
To meet me here at noon" Aud they
replied,
Bowing before the might of Solomon,
Master the only one who is not here
Is that most loving Of all things,
Whom all things love, the wild dove
Boutimsr."
The Lord of Learning sent golden bird,
A marvellous gift from SLeba's beauteous
Queen,
To find and fetch the wild dove Boutimar
From where her nest was builded on the
roof
OF the great Temple Of Jerusalem,
The glory of the reign Of Solomon.
20 dove" he said, while she was still
afar,
"Wild dove that dwellest in the clefts Of
rocks,
Or in the hiding places of the wood,
Singing all day, THE fashion Of this rorld
Passes alcay Ike stubble in the fire,
But God remains eternal ia The hedreRs.
Higher, my dove, and let me see thy face,
Hither and let me hear thy voice once
more
Then, when the wild dove Boutimar was
come,
Smoothing her feathers with a tender
hand,
He bade her tell him whether it were best
That he, her lord and master, Solomon,
Should drink the waters Of immortal youth.
Whereunto Boutimar the Bird of Love,
Whose wisdom was propOrtioned to her
love:
allow should a simple creature of the sky,
Tenant of lonely places far from men,
In rocky clefts, or woods, or temple roofs,
Answer the Master of Intelligence
Yet if il must be that counsel thee,
Instruct me whether this bright Cup Of
Life
Be for thee only, or for all mankind
And who, moreover, understood their
speech
And could converse with them, so wise
was he.
Surrounded there by these, that summer
day
He sat, and over him the birds heaven
Hung motionless-a living ca Py
That shut out the fierce su Light; also
came
And ministered to him the winds Of hea-
ven
They or the angels who ruled over them
Diverse in kind, but strangely beautiful,
As when with their innumerable wings
lie first beheld them in Jerusalem.
The pOpulous kingdoms of the earth and
air,
| Below, above, about him, troubled him
/ Troubled him because he understood their
speech
Their habits, passions, everything they
were,
What life was to them, and how short it
was,
And. whether long or short, how certain
death.
| The solemn thought Of their mortality,
And it may be, his own, which all that day
Was present with him, an unwelcomc
guest
The more unwelcome as he grew more old
Darkened the loving heart of Solomon,
Darkened his soul, still, lifting up his eyes
He saw mist which slowly shaped itself,
/ Or seemed to shape, into an OdOrOus cloud
Which rose before him, and from out the
cloud
There reached hand that held a crysta
cup,
/ Filled with strange water clearer thar
the cup;
And sweeter than all music spake voice
Saying: "The Maker Of the Universe
His Name and Power be honored, glori
Hath sent me with this cup, wherein thot
scest
The waters Of youth aud everlasting life.
Choose freely whether thou wilt or will
not drink
This draught Of youth and everlasting life
Think wilt thou be immortal through al
time,
Or live and die like other men wait
Deep silence broOded over all the place
When the voice ceased, and Solomon com
muned
Within himself upon the thing he heard.
Firm as a pillar stOOd the odOrOus cloud,
And the white hand reached out the dia
mOnd cup.
"surely, be thought, "the gold of life i
good
To spend in the great market of the world
Fruitful the soil Of life, wherein TO plant
The stately palms ofpower, the howerS ol
love;
But ioyless is the dark repose Of DEATH
Thus he, within the silence of his Thought
Deb ating life and death. "Before drink
| will take other counsel than mine own
For though men call me wise, know my
self
Foolish at times-I think more foolish nov
That age has come on me-" He summo
then
All spirits which were subject TO hi
charge
TIE angels of the winds and Of the seas,
The birdsof heaven, the creatures Of Tn
earth,
The souls of wise men dead before he lived
And speaking to them in their sever'
tongues,
Demanded they should tell him, if the
knew,
Whether, indeed, it would be wise in hir
To drain the cup of everlasting life,
Or let it 90, and die like other men.
Then, like the voices OF thousand stream
Which are one voice, the countless multi
tude
straightway entreated him to drain th
cup,
Seeing that the welfare Of the world wa
laid
Upon his wisdom, as upon the hills
And he: "It hath been sent to me alone.
, There is not In the cup another drop
Nay, not 30 much az the least bead Of de
Left at high noontide ig the lily's leaves
'Prophet Of God !" the wild dove answere
then,
: "Oh, how couldst thou desire to live alon
Then, when thy trusty friends and cour
sellors,
Thy wives, thy children, all who 10y
thee, all
Whom thou dost love, are numbered vii
4