'THE STORY OF MY HEART' 187 



thing from sen and earth and air and stars, to be ' full 

 of light as the sun's rays.' Not only did he feel to the 

 heights and the depths, but to the ' dimmest part ' in 

 the life of the earth, and from all the ages his soul desired 

 ' to take that soul-life which had flowed through them.' 

 Yet this present moment was ' as marvellous, as grand ' 

 as all that had gone before ; now was ' the wonder and 

 the glory.' The lucid water of the spring, the dew, the 

 storm wind, the summer air, the crescent moon, all 

 moved him to repeat his prayer. ' All the larks over the 

 green corn sang it to me, all the dear swallows.' At sight 

 of the sea ' the passion rose tumultuous as the waves.' 

 The sunset over London fanned it. It was deepest in 

 the presence of living human beauty. 



' In this lies the outcome and end of all the loveliness of 

 sunshine and green leaf, of flowers, pure water, and sweet 

 air. This is embodiment and highest expression ; the 

 scattered, uncertain, and designless loveliness of tree and 

 sunlight brought to shape. Through this beauty I prayed 

 deepest and longest, and down to this hour. The shape — 

 the divine idea of that shape — the swelling muscle or the 

 dreamy limb, strong sinew or curve of bust, Aphrodite 

 or Hercules, it is the same. That I may have the soul-life, 

 the soul-nature, let divine beauty bring to me divine soul. 



' Statues also : the smallest fragment of marble carved 

 in the shape of a human arm will awake the desire I felt 

 in my hill-prayer.'* 



Later came the need to put the prayer and the inde- 

 finable aspiration into such a form ' as would admit of 

 actually working upon the lines it indicated for some 

 good. And this was the prayer : 



* First, I desired that I might do or find something 

 to exalt the soul, something to enable it to live its 

 own life, a more powerful existence now. Secondly, 

 I desired to be able to do something for the flesh, to 

 make a discovery or perfect a method by which the 

 fleshly body might enjoy more pleasure, longer life, 



* The Story of My Heart. 



