Festus

petty common thoughts
On which we daily tread, as it were, make one,
And above which few look; the other is
That high and welkin-like infinity⁠—
The brighter, upper half of the mind’s world,
Thick with great sun-like and constellate thoughts;
And in the night of mind, which is our sleep,
These thoughts shine out in dreams. Dreams double life;
They are the heart’s bright shadow on life’s flood;
And even the step from death to deathlessness⁠—
From this earth’s gross existence unto Heaven⁠—
Can scarce be more than from the harsh hot day
To sleep’s soft scenes, the moonlight of the mind.
The wave is never weary of the wind,
But in mountainous playfulness leaps to it
Always; but mind gets weary of the world,
And glooms itself in sleep, like a sweet smile,
Line by line, settling into proper sadness;
For sleep seems part of our immortality:
And why should any thing that dies be sad?
Last night I dreamed I walked within a hall⁠—
The inside of the world. Long shroud-like lights
Lit up its lift-like dome and pale wide walls,
Horizon-like; and every one was there:
It was the house of Death, and Death was there.
We could not see him, but he was a feeling:
We knew he was around us⁠—heard us⁠—eyed us;
But where wast thou? I never met thee once.
And all was still as nothing; or as God,
Deep judging, when the thought of making first
Quickened and stirred within Him; and He made
All Heaven at one thought as at a glance.
Noise was there none; and yet there was a sound
Which seemed to be half like silence, half like sound.
All crept about still as the cold wet worms,
Which slid among our feet, we could not scape from.
Bound me were ruined fragments of dead gods⁠—
Those shadows of the mystery of One⁠—
And the red worms, too, flourished over these,
For marble is a shadow weighed with mind;
Each being, as men of old believed, distinct
In form, and place, and power. But Oh! not all
The gathered gods of Eld could shine like ours,
No more than all yon stars could make a sun.
But truly then men lived in moral night,
’Neath a dim starlight of religious truth.
I felt my spirit’s spring gush out more clear,
Gazing on these: they beautified my mind
As rocks and flowers reflected do a well.
Mind makes itself like that it lives amidst,
And on; and thus, among dreams, imaginings,
And scenes of awe, and purity, and power,
Grows sternly sweet and calm⁠—all beautiful
With god-like coldness and unconsciousness
Of mortal passion, mental toil; until,
Like to the marble model of a god,
It doth assume a firm and dazzling form,
Scarcely less incorruptible than that
It emblems: and so grew, methought, my mind.
Matter hath many qualities; mind, one:
It is irresistible: pure power⁠—pure god.
While wandering on I met what seemed myself:
Was it not strange that we should meet, and there?
But all is strange in dreaming, as in death,
And waking, as in life: nought is not strange.
Methought that I was happy, because dead.
All hurried to and fro; and many cried
To each other⁠—Can I do thee any good?
But no one heeded: nothing could avail:
The world was one great grave. I looked, and saw
Time on his two great wings⁠—one, night⁠—one, day⁠—
Fly, moth-like, right into the flickering sun;
So that the sun went out, and they both perished.
And one gat up and spake⁠—a holy man⁠—
Exhorting them; but each and all cried out⁠—
Go to!⁠—it helps not⁠—means not: we are dead.
Death spake no word methought, but me he made
Speak for him; and I dreamed that I was Death;
Then, that Death only lived: all things were mixed;
Up and down shooting, like the brain’s fierce dance
In a delirium, when we are apt to die.
Hell is my heir; what kin to me is Heaven?
Bring out your hearts before me. Give your limbs
To whom ye list or love. My son, Decay,
Will take them: give them him. I want your hearts,
That I may take them up to God. There came
These words among us, but we knew not whence;
It was as if the air spake. And there rose
Out of the earth a giant thing, all earth;
His eye was earthy, and his arm was earthy:
He had no heart. He but said, I am Decay;
And, as he spake, he crumbled into earth,
And the was nothing of him. But we all
Lifted our faces up at the word, God,
And spied a dark star high above in the midst
Of others, numberless as are the dead.
And all plucked out their hearts, and held them in
Their right hands. Many tried to pick out specks
And stains, but could not: each gave up his heart.
And something⁠—all things⁠—nothing⁠—it was Death,
Said, as before, from air⁠—Let us to God!
And straight we rose, leaving behind the raw
Worms and dead gods, all of us⁠—soared and soared
Right upwards, till the star I told thee of
Looked like a moon⁠—the moon became a sun:
The sun⁠—there came a hand between the sun and us,
And its five fingers made five nights in air.
God tore the glory from the sun’s broad brow,
And flung the flaming scalp off flat to Hell.
I saw Him do it; and it passed close by us.
And then I heard a long, cold, skeleton scream,
Like a trumpet whining through a catacomb,
Which made the sides of that great grave shake in.
I saw the world and vision of the dead
Dim itself off⁠—and all was life! I woke,
And felt the high sun blazoning on my brow
His own almighty mockery of woe,
And fierce and infinite laugh at things which cease.
Hell hath its light⁠—and Heaven; he burns with both.
And my dream broke, like life from the last limb⁠—
Quivering; so loth I felt to let it go,
Just as I thought I had caught sight of Heaven.
It came to nought, as dreams of Heaven on earth
Do always. Lucifer

It is time we part again.

Elissa

Farewell, then, gentle stars! To-night, farewell!
For we all part at once. It is thus the bright
Visions and joys of youth break up⁠—but they
For ever. When ye shine again I will
Be with ye; for I love ye next to him.
To all, adieu! When shall I see thee next?

Lucifer

Lady, I know not.

Elissa

Say!

Lucifer

Never! perchance.

Elissa

There is but one immortal in the world
Who need say⁠—never!

Lucifer

What if I were he?

Elissa

But thou art