Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.
A Legend of the Dove
By George Sterling
S
Unmoved against the tranquil afternoon,
Eve’s dove laments her now:
“Ah, gone! long gone! shall not I find thee soon?”
Told not to Paradise a sorrow’s tale:
As other birds rejoice
He sang, a brother to the nightingale.
He saw the flower sleep, the star awake;
And calling her from rest,
Made all the dawn melodious for her sake.
The sword of exile and the mortal chain—
The heritage of death
That gave her heart to dust, his own to pain.…
The seraph heard his lonely music swoon,
As now, reiterate;
“Ah, gone! long gone! shall not I find thee soon?