The Rape of the Mist
High o’er the clouds a sunbeam shone,
And far down under him,
With a subtle grace that was all her own,
The mist gleamed fair and dim.
He looked at her with his burning eyes,
And longed to fall at her feet;
Of all sweet things there under the skies
He thought her the thing most sweet.
He had wooed oft, as a sunbeam may,
Wave and blossom and flower,
But never before had he felt the sway
Of a great love’s mighty power.
Tall cloud mountains and vast-space seas,
Wind and tempest and fire,
What are obstacles such as these
To a heart that is filled with desire!
Boldly he trod over cloud and star,
Boldly he swam through space,
She caught the glow of his eyes afar
And veiled her delicate face.
The Mist grew pale with a vague, strange fright,
As fond yet fierce he came,
He was so strong and he was so bright,
And his breath was a breath of flame.
Close to his heart she was clasped and kissed,
She swooned in love’s alarms:
And dead lay the beautiful pale-faced mist
In the sunbeam’s passionate arms.
Poems of sentiment, c 1906.
Other works by Ella Wheeler Wilcox...
