Songs of the Springtides and Birthday Ode Taken from The Collected Poetical Works of Algernon Charles Swinburne—Vol. III   By: Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909)

BIRTHDAY ODE

Taken from THE COLLECTED POETICAL WORKS OF ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE, VOL. III

By

Algernon Charles Swinburne

SWINBURNE'S POETICAL WORKS

I. POEMS AND BALLADS (First Series).

II. SONGS BEFORE SUNRISE, AND SONGS OF TWO NATIONS.

III. POEMS AND BALLADS (Second and Third Series), and SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES.

IV. TRISTRAM OF LYONESSE, THE TALE OF BALEN, ATALANTA IN CALYDON, ERECHTHEUS.

V. STUDIES IN SONG, A CENTURY OF ROUNDELS, SONNETS ON ENGLISH DRAMATIC POETS, THE HEPTALOGIA, ETC.

VI. A MIDSUMMER HOLIDAY, ASTROPHEL, A CHANNEL PASSAGE AND OTHER POEMS.

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

BIRTHDAY ODE

By

Algernon Charles Swinburne

1917

LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN

First printed (Chatto), 1904

Reprinted 1904, '09, '10, '12

(Heinemann), 1917

London: William Heinemann, 1917

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY 293

THALASSIUS 295

ON THE CLIFFS 311

THE GARDEN OF CYMODOCE 326

BIRTHDAY ODE 341

NOTES 359

SONGS OF THE SPRINGTIDES

DEDICATION

TO EDWARD JOHN TRELAWNY

A sea mew on a sea king's wrist alighting, As the north sea wind caught and strained and curled The raven figured flag that led men fighting From field to green field of the water world, Might find such brief high favour at his hand For wings imbrued with brine, with foam impearled, As these my songs require at yours on land, That durst not save for love's free sake require, Being lightly born between the foam and sand, But reared by hope and memory and desire Of lives that were and life that is to be, Even such as filled his heavenlier song with fire Whose very voice, that sang to set man free, Was in your ears as ever in ours his lyre, Once, ere the flame received him from the sea.

THALASSIUS

Upon the flowery forefront of the year, One wandering by the grey green April sea Found on a reach of shingle and shallower sand Inlaid with starrier glimmering jewellery Left for the sun's love and the light wind's cheer Along the foam flowered strand Breeze brightened, something nearer sea than land Though the last shoreward blossom fringe was near, A babe asleep with flower soft face that gleamed To sun and seaward as it laughed and dreamed, Too sure of either love for either's fear, Albeit so birdlike slight and light, it seemed Nor man nor mortal child of man, but fair As even its twin born tenderer spray flowers were, That the wind scatters like an Oread's hair.

For when July strewed fire on earth and sea The last time ere that year, Out of the flame of morn Cymothoe Beheld one brighter than the sunbright sphere Move toward her from its fieriest heart, whence trod The live sun's very God, Across the foam bright water ways that are As heavenlier heavens with star for answering star, And on her eyes and hair and maiden mouth Felt a kiss falling fierier than the South And heard above afar A noise of songs and wind enamoured wings And lutes and lyres of milder and mightier strings, And round the resonant radiance of his car Where depth is one with height, Light heard as music, music seen as light. And with that second moondawn of the spring's That fosters the first rose, A sun child whiter than the sunlit snows Was born out of the world of sunless things That round the round earth flows and ebbs and flows.