Page:Songs of the Springtides - Swinburne (1880).pdf/124

 Eyes fixed or fevered, pale or bloodred mouth, Kept watch about his dawn-enkindled dreams; But ere high noon a light of nearer beams Made his young heaven of manhood more benign, And love made soft his lips with spiritual wine, And left them fired, and fed With sacramental bread, And sweet with honey of tenderer words than tears To feed men's hopes and fortify men's fears, And strong to silence with benignant breath The lips that doom to death, And swift with speech like fire in fiery lands To melt the steel's edge in the headsman's hands.

Higher than they rose of old, New builded now, behold, The live great likeness of Our Lady's towers;