407

PROLOGUE TO OLD FORTUNATUS 409

PROLOGUE TO THE DUCHESS OF MALFY 411

PROLOGUE TO THE REVENGER'S TRAGEDY 413

PROLOGUE TO THE BROKEN HEART 415

PROLOGUE TO A VERY WOMAN 417

PROLOGUE TO THE SPANISH GIPSY 419

PROLOGUE TO THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN 421

THE AFTERGLOW OF SHAKESPEARE 423

CLEOPATRA 427

DEDICATION 435

A CHANNEL PASSAGE AND OTHER POEMS

IN MEMORY

OF

WILLIAM MORRIS

AND

EDWARD BURNE JONES

A CHANNEL PASSAGE

1855

Forth from Calais, at dawn of night, when sunset summer on autumn
shone,
Fared the steamer alert and loud through seas whence only the sun
was gone:
Soft and sweet as the sky they smiled, and bade man welcome: a dim
sweet hour
Gleamed and whispered in wind and sea, and heaven was fair as a
field in flower.
Stars fulfilled the desire of the darkling world as with music: the
starbright air
Made the face of the sea, if aught may make the face of the sea,
more fair.

Whence came change? Was the sweet night weary of rest? What anguish
awoke in the dark?
Sudden, sublime, the strong storm spake: we heard the thunders as
hounds that bark.
Lovelier if aught may be lovelier than stars, we saw the lightnings
exalt the sky,
Living and lustrous and rapturous as love that is born but to
quicken and lighten and die.
Heaven's own heart at its highest of delight found utterance in
music and semblance in fire:
Thunder on thunder exulted, rejoicing to live and to satiate the
night's desire.

And the night was alive and anhungered of life as a tiger from
toils cast free:
And a rapture of rage made joyous the spirit and strength of the
soul of the sea.
All the weight of the wind bore down on it, freighted with death
for fraught:
And the keen waves kindled and quickened as things transfigured or
things distraught.
And madness fell on them laughing and leaping; and madness came on
the wind:
And the might and t