Wherever eyes of yearning gaze up into eyes
of yearning taking, all time’s hours stop,
and falsehood’s hands may cover no bare fact,
nor any modesty whip passion back,
but he, lead chutist, soars freely
into rushing earth, to feign no more of fear
and dream no more of fate.

The stirring grasses sigh into the heart
as all that’s selfless dies.
It lies so joyfully with death
the passioned chantings of a flashing bird
change to elation every banished word
and all that’s selfish flies!

Yes! and shall not we sing, too?
Only yesterday I knew your heart in mine;
I knew the truth of you.
A new intentness set to send us, too,
as one due day rides sun-ward,
and your eyes in my eyes soared into
a flower-wise chaining of unchained desire,
a flaunting, high conspiracy
that saw no end of time.

We were as trees are, apart, yet rooted
not to earth but to our strange brows shining,
glad with fire and mad with sight.
A brighter radiance shone in May not ever,
a cleaner air or a purer rain;
made of our thoughts severe high beams together,
caught up our hearts in a jest of pain.

Then marrow rang! Then breath departed!
For only Delight there fanned and sped.
“Round every flower a freed wind wended,
bent the petals from head to head.
Between bold boughs strong gold descended,
and in young leaves old dreams arose.

High swirling grasses sprang up to our thighs
and brushed the veins of Paradise.
Darkness saw your rare long hair wrap ’round him
and knew not darkness, saw dewy lightness
sing upon your shoulders, rang out his joy,
and died.

Aye, I, too, I, too, knew lightness,
searing lightness of strained desire,
and like a half-wet flame I laughed aloud
to see a gentle tree lean out to me,
a yearning, stretching, smiling tree,
now all aflame as I.

Arms and branches swing into the sky
and touch away the sunlight as a cloud.
Leaves and faces seek each others places,
gaze on hidden spaces and entwine.
Now four curling hands of fire
rake lightning through the pyre,
uproot the tree Desire and pull the woodman down!
The swirling grasses, flowing,
grow high red storms of knowing,
learn love that leaps up glowing
And is unbound!

All over eyes of flowers the lover’s eye devours,
devours all time’s hours, devours space and light;
and where Love’s breath flows sighing
the soul of death goes dying,
the final Fate is flying,
and burning Day is bright!