Page:A New Zealand verse (1906).pdf/66
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30
A Leave-taking.
And I will catch sight of their faces
Through the dust of the lists and the din,
In the sword-lit and perilous places—
Yea, whether I lose or I win,
I will look to them, all being over,
Triumphant or trampled beneath,
I will turn to the isle like a lover,
To her evergreen brakes for a wreath,
For a tear to her lakes.
Through the dust of the lists and the din,
In the sword-lit and perilous places—
Yea, whether I lose or I win,
I will look to them, all being over,
Triumphant or trampled beneath,
I will turn to the isle like a lover,
To her evergreen brakes for a wreath,
For a tear to her lakes.
The last of her now is a brightening
Far fire in the forested hills,
The breeze as the night nears is heightening,
The cordage draws tighter and thrills,
Like a horse that is spurred by the rider,
The great vessel quivers and quails,
And passes the billows beside her,
The fair wind is strong in her sails,
She is lifted along.
Far fire in the forested hills,
The breeze as the night nears is heightening,
The cordage draws tighter and thrills,
Like a horse that is spurred by the rider,
The great vessel quivers and quails,
And passes the billows beside her,
The fair wind is strong in her sails,
She is lifted along.
When the zone and the latitude changes
A welcome of white cliffs shall be,
I shall cease to be sad for white ranges
Now lost in the night and the sea:—
But dipped deep in their clear flowing rivers
As a chalice my spirit shall weigh
With fair water that flickers and shivers,
Held up to the strong, steady ray,
To the sunlight of song.
A welcome of white cliffs shall be,
I shall cease to be sad for white ranges
Now lost in the night and the sea:—
But dipped deep in their clear flowing rivers
As a chalice my spirit shall weigh
With fair water that flickers and shivers,
Held up to the strong, steady ray,
To the sunlight of song.