Poems (Hinchman)/As the full curtains of the welkin's arch
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As the full curtains of the welkin's archHang low and hide from sight the greater sphere,And all the lesser lights whose nightly marchDoth o'er our heads a dazzling vision appear;So some dark veil droops now and winds me round,Clouding my eyes with shadows' dreamy folds,My hands with the same spirit-stuff seem boundAnd cannot tear the band that loosely holds.Oh, now ambition's eager, nerved startDoth pause, and time doth swallow my new thought;My strength gives way, and with a listless heartI stand where life's desires and fears are naught. Till from without my cloud may come a gleam And lift my soul beyond this shadowy dream.