g a whole city home to
supper, it seemed to me as if the central power of all things, The
Thing that floats and breathes through the universe, must have been
found by someone--gathered up from between stars, and turned
on--poured down gently on the planet--falling on a thousand wheels,
and run on the tops of cars--the secret thrill that softly and out in
the darkness and through all ages had done all things. I felt as if I
had seen the infinite in some near familiar, humdrum place. I walked
on in a dazed fashion. I do not suppose I could really have been more
surprised if I had met a star walking in the street.

In my deepest dream
I heard the Song
Running in my sleep
Through the lowest caves of Being
Down below
Where no sound is, sun is,
Hearing, seeing
That men know.

There was something about it, about that sense of the mile of cars
moving, that made it all seem very old.

_An Ode to the Lightning._

Before the first new dust of dream God took
For making man and hope and love and graves
Had kindled to its fate. Before the floods
Had folded round the hills. Before the rainbow
Born of cloud had taught the sky its tints,
The Lightning Minstrel was. The cry of Vague
To Vague. The Chaos-voice that rolled and crept
From out the pale bewildered wonder-stuff
That wove the worlds,
Before the Hand had stirred that touched them,
While still, hinged on nothing,
Dim and shapeless Things
And clouds with groping sleep upon their wings
Floated and waited.
Before the winds had breathed the breath of life
Or blown from wastes of Space
To Earth's creating place,
The souls of seeds
And ghosts of old dead stars,
The Lightning Spirit willed
Their feet with wonder should be thrilled.
--Primal fire of all desire
That leaps from men to men,
Brother of Suns
And all the Glorious Ones
That circle skies,
He flashed to these
The night that brought the birth,
The vision of the place
And raised his awful face
To all their glittering crowds,
And cried from where It lay
--A tiny ball of fire and clay
In swaddling clothes of clouds,
"Behold the Earth!"

* * * * *
* * * * *

Oh heavenly feet of The Hot Cloud! Bringer
Of the garnered airs. Herald of the shining rains!
Looser of the locked and lusty winds from their misty caves.
Opener of the thousand thousand-gloried doors twixt h