SWAN SONG 195 



golden anther plays its perfect part in the story with- 

 out an end. But the violet may not see the rose ; 

 the rose must vanish before the spikenard comes. 

 Neither shall any flower of them all behold her own 

 fruition. They call the bee to them, and pass in 

 peace, not lingering to know whether it is well. And 

 if man could thus live perfectly, he too might sink 

 back again into night without a sigh, and leave his 

 seed-time and harvest assured. 



But to conscious intelligence perfection is denied. 



