"THE STORY OF MY HEART." 289 



above, the wide sea was before me, the wind 

 came sweet and strong from the waves. The 

 life of the earth and the sea, the glow of the 

 sun filled me ; I touched the surge with my 

 hand, I lifted my face to the sun, I opened my 

 lips to the wind. I prayed aloud in the roar 

 of the waves my soul was strong as the 

 sea and prayed with the sea's might. ' Give 

 me fulness of life like to the sea and the sun, 

 to the earth and the air ; give me fulness of 

 physical life, mind equal and beyond their 

 fulness ; give me a greatness and perfection 

 of soul higher than all things, give me my 

 inexpressible desire which swells in me like a 

 tide, give it to me with all the force of the sea.' 

 " Then I rested, sitting by the wheat; the 

 bank of beach was between me and the sea, 

 but the waves beat against it ; the sea was 

 there, the sea was present and at hand. By 

 the dry wheat I rested; I did not think ; I was 

 inhaling the richness of the sea; all the strength 

 and depth of meaning of the sea and earth 

 came to me again. I rubbed out some of the 

 wheat in my hands, I took up a piece of clod 

 and crumbled it in my fingers it was a joy 



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