A Reed by the River/The Race
THE RACE(65 A.D.)
Nay, hold me not and bid me not look back,
A sun-gleam strikes yon golden minaret,
He who would win must bound upon the track
Unloosed of old regret!
A sun-gleam strikes yon golden minaret,
He who would win must bound upon the track
Unloosed of old regret!
Behold! My limbs are white within the dawn,
And like a bird that breaks the eastern sky,
My heart, with wings of flame is speeding on,
Beyond the trumpet's cry.
And like a bird that breaks the eastern sky,
My heart, with wings of flame is speeding on,
Beyond the trumpet's cry.
Then stay me not, beloved. Bid me free
Of all past dark; its cloak I cast away,
And thus unbound, saving by love of thee,
I leap into the day!
Of all past dark; its cloak I cast away,
And thus unbound, saving by love of thee,
I leap into the day!
Not Casar nor the gods can strike me blind
Of this Today, wherein life's treasure lies;
Harken! . . . Forgetful of the things behind,
I press unto the prize!
Of this Today, wherein life's treasure lies;
Harken! . . . Forgetful of the things behind,
I press unto the prize!