nature's calm 127 



The fragrance of the Virgin's lilies 

 pierces you through and through; the 

 honeysuckle odour clings and over- 

 whelms the heliotrope until the mign- 

 onette seems almost a stimulant by 

 contrast. The rose-bed scatters scented 

 petals, and the buds of yesterday relax 

 the grip of the green calyx, only wait- 

 ing for the sun's expanding touch. 



Beyond the marshes the sea-sands do 

 not blind the eyes as in the daytime, 

 but cool, gray, and sparkling with 

 mica, they blend with the sky and 

 water, while the lighthouse eyes wink 

 wisely. Across the sky and the water 

 down to your feet stretches the path of 

 the moon, scintillating and drawing 

 you to it, obliterating everything else 

 and bridging space by its magnetism. 

 Step in the current; the black tide 

 looks solid; you marvel the feet can 

 move through it. Wade further in; 



