"Go Not Too Far"
Go not too far—too far beyond my gaze,
Thou who canst never pass beyond the yearning
Which, even as the dark for dawning stays,
Awaits thy loved returning!
Go not too far! Howe'er thy fancies roam,
Let them come back, wide-circling like the swallow,
Lest I, for very need, should try to come—
And find I could not follow!
poem by Florence Earle Coates from Mine and Thine (1904)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Related quotes
In Nineveh.
As he of Joppa sought to 'scape
The utterance of the given word,
And dared to get him from the Lord
In a ship down to Tarshish, — know
Thou canst not any burden throw
That was ordained for thee to bear
Though faith may make it light as air.
Though thou within the dust may rave,
Within the dust may rave and curse
Thy being and the universe,
He sends His lightnings still abroad,
Yet plants for thee the shadowy gourd,
And comes so near He leaves a trace
Of beauty on thy bitter face.
Thou canst not lose thyself: thou art
The given word; its utterance too
Is in all thou dost dream and do:
All men must hear it, hearing thee:
Thou canst not 'scape the prophecy
Of thy life here, howe'er thou rave
Between the cradle and the grave.
What if thou wert He, being here —
So much of Him made flesh as can
Find its conception in a man;
Thy very breath His own, and thou
The veriest utterance of Him now?
It is His work: — let thyself be,
And He will cry in Nineveh!
poem by Robert Crawford
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Another Epilogue to Faith
If thou can move mountains
canst thou move my heart for me?
That it may beat the way it should be.
If I with thee can walk on waters,
canst thou dry the tears for me?
That I may walk in them no more.
If I with thee can do anything,
then why canst I love him back?
That I in kindness may fill what I lack.
If thou could lead the way for me,
canst thou put me to the path
that leads me to forgiveness..
that I may in goodness forgive myself.
poem by Jessel Jane Tevar
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The Princess: A Medley: O Swallow
O Swallow, Swallow, flying, flying South,
Fly to her, and fall upon her gilded eaves,
And tell her, tell her, what I tell to thee.
O tell her, Swallow, thou that knowest each,
That bright and fierce and fickle is the South,
And dark and true and tender is the North.
O Swallow, Swallow, if I could follow, and light
Upon her lattice, I would pipe and trill,
And cheep and twitter twenty million loves.
O were I thou that she might take me in,
And lay me on her bosom, and her heart
Would rock the snowy cradle till I died.
Why lingereth she to clothe her heart with love,
Delaying as the tender ash delays
To clothe herself, when all the woods are green?
O tell her, Swallow, that thy brood is flown:
Say to her, I do but wanton in the South,
But in the North long since my nest is made.
O tell her, brief is life but love is long,
And brief the sun of summer in the North,
And brief the moon of beauty in the South.
O Swallow, flying from the golden woods,
Fly to her, and pipe and woo her, and make her mine,
And tell her, tell her, that I follow thee.
poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
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Itylus
Swallow, my sister, O sister swallow,
How can thine heart be full of the spring?
A thousand summers are over and dead.
What hast thou found in the spring to follow?
What hast thou found in thine heart to sing?
What wilt thou do when the summer is shed?
O swallow, sister, O fair swift swallow,
Why wilt thou fly after spring to the south,
The soft south whither thine heart is set?
Shall not the grief of the old time follow?
Shall not the song thereof cleave to thy mouth?
Hast thou forgotten ere I forget?
Sister, my sister, O fleet sweet swallow,
Thy way is long to the sun and the south;
But I, fulfilled of my heart's desire,
Shedding my song upon height, upon hollow,
From tawny body and sweet small mouth
Feed the heart of the night with fire.
I the nightingale all spring through,
O swallow, sister, O changing swallow,
All spring through till the spring be done,
Clothed with the light of the night on the dew,
Sing, while the hours and the wild birds follow,
Take flight and follow and find the sun.
Sister, my sister, O soft light swallow,
Though all things feast in the spring's guest-chamber,
How hast thou heart to be glad thereof yet?
For where thou fliest I shall not follow,
Till life forget and death remember,
Till thou remember and I forget.
Swallow, my sister, O singing swallow,
I know not how thou hast heart to sing.
Hast thou the heart? is it all past over?
Thy lord the summer is good to follow,
And fair the feet of thy lover the spring:
But what wilt thou say to the spring thy lover?
O swallow, sister, O fleeting swallow,
My heart in me is a molten ember
And over my head the waves have met.
But thou wouldst tarry or I would follow
Could I forget or thou remember,
Couldst thou remember and I forget.
O sweet stray sister, O shifting swallow,
The heart's division divideth us.
Thy heart is light as a leaf of a tree;
But mine goes forth among sea-gulfs hollow
To the place of the slaying of Itylus,
The feast of Daulis, the Thracian sea.
O swallow, sister, O rapid swallow,
I pray thee sing not a little space.
Are not the roofs and the lintels wet?
The woven web that was plain to follow,
The small slain body, the flower-like face,
Can I remember if thou forget?
O sister, sister, thy first-begotten!
The hands that cling and the feet that follow,
The voice of the child's blood crying yet
Who hath remembered me? who hath forgotten?
Thou hast forgotten, O summer swallow,
But the world shall end when I forget.
poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
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In Spring
THE young birds shy twitter
In hedges and bowers,
Fields brighten and glitter
With dewdrops and flowers.
Over flood, over fallow,
Impelled by old yearning,
The nest-building swallow
Exults at returning;
For dark days and hoary
Are routed and over,
Dark Winter is gone;
Resplendent in glory,
The earth meets her lover,
Her bridegroom the Sun.
Must I alone sorrow,
Despairingly languish,
Breaks never a morrow
On the night of my anguish?
The jubilant gladness
In bird, beam, and blossom,
But deepens the sadness
That weighs on my bosom.
Oh, Spring, in whose azure
Wake follow the starling,
The daisy, the dove;
Sweet spendthrift of pleasure,
Brings also my darling,
Oh bring me my love!
poem by Mathilde Blind
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From
My grief no mortals know,
Except the yearning!
Alone, a prey to woe,
All pleasure spurning,
Up tow'rds the sky I throw
A gaze discerning.
He who my love can know
Seems ne'er returning;
With strange and fiery glow
My heart is burning.
My grief no mortals know,
Except the yearning!
poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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The Moral Force
If thou feelest not the beautiful, still thou with reason canst will it;
And as a spirit canst do, that which as man thou canst not.
poem by Friedrich Schiller
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Lines.—Oft on that latest star
Oft on that latest star of purest light,
That hovers on the verge of morning gray,
I gaze, and think of eyes that gleam'd as bright,
As fondly linger'd, and yet pass’d away.
While this true heart in every throb can tell
'Tis changeless since the first fond hour we met—
While at thy name it wakes, as to a spell,
I feel 'tis not in nature to forget!
Thou canst not have forgot the tender hour
When we our parting tears together shed;
Thou canst not have forgot the fading flower
That ask'd thy hand to raise its drooping head.
Thy voice, thy looks, thy sighs, too truly spoke—
Oh! how could they deceive thyself and me?
No! death alone the bond of truth has broke,
And cast oblivion on the world and thee!
poem by Louisa Stuart Costello
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The Flight of Youth
Youth! ere thou be flown away.
Surely one last boon to-day
Thou'lt bestow-
One last light of rapture give,
Rich and lordly fugitive!
Ere thou go.
What, thou canst not? What, all spent?
All thy spells of ravishment
Pow'rless now?
Gone thy magic out of date?
Gone, all gone that made thee great?-
Follow thou!
poem by William Watson
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Restless
Theres a kind of a restless feeling and it pulls me from within
It sets my senses reeling and my wheels begin to spin
In the quietude of winter you can hear the wild geese cry
And I will always love that sound until the day I die
Theres a plain and a simple answer to each and every quest
From every quiet dance who might be a special guest
In a movie made for tv or a late night interview
You might even find them on the young and the restless too
Do ya get that restless feelin when you hear a whistle blast
Like an echo from the past
Of an old engine flyin down a road thats ironcast
The lake is blue, the sky is gray, the leaves have turned to gold
The wild goose will be on her way, the weathers much too cold
When the muskie and the old trout too have all gone down to rest
We will be returning to the things that we love best
Do ya get that restless yearning when you think about your dad
And the scrimshaw that he had
Of an old schooner rovin neath a sky thats ironclad
Theres a kind of a restless feeling and it catches you off guard
As we gaze off at the distance through the trees in my back yard
I can feel that restless yearning of those geese as off they roam
Then trade that for a warm bed and a place I can call home
Will ya get that restless yearning when you hear the wicked blast
Of a spectre from the past
Of a cold diesel rollin down a road thats built to last
Still I get that restless feelin when I hear a whistle blast
See an image from the past
Of an old schooner flyin down a sky thats overcast
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Song Of The Bell. (From The German)
Bell! thou soundest merrily,
When the bridal party
To the church doth hie!
Bell! thou soundest solemnly.
When, on Sabbath morning,
Fields deserted lie!
Bell! thou soundest merrily;
Tellest thou at evening,
Bed-time draweth nigh!
Bell! thou soundest mournfully.
Tellest thou the bitter
Parting hath gone by!
Say! how canst thou mourn?
How canst thou rejoice?
Thou art but metal dull!
And yet all our sorrowings,
Arid all our rejoicings,
Thou dost feel them all!
God hath wonders many,
Which we cannot fathom,
Placed within thy form!
When the heart is sinking,
Thou alone canst raise it,
Trembling in the storm!
poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Canst Thou Leave Me Thus, My Katie
Chorus
Canst thou leave me thus, my Katie?
Canst thou leave me thus, my Katie?
Well thou know'st my aching heart,
And canst thou leave me thus, for pity?
Is this thy plighted, fond regard,
Thus cruelly to part, my Katie?
Is this thy faithful swain's reward-
An aching, broken heart, my Katie!
Chorus
Farewell! and ne'er such sorrows tear
That finkle heart of thine, my Katie!
Thou maysn find those will love thee dear,
But not a love like mine, my Katie,
Chorus
poem by Robert Burns
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Burning Bridges
Looking back I see
In the distance bridges burning
Knowing now
There will be no returning
The departures
Of the past
Have left behind the shores of
Where our bread once was cast
We all must go
Into the future
Nothing stays put
It's just the law of nature
The power and prestige
Of all our yesterdays
Won't count for a thing
Going along this new way
The very best
We all can, and should do
Is help one another
Make it through
So let the damned
Bridges burn
And move ever forward
Where new life awaits, around every next turn
poem by Smoky Hoss
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Old Black Dawning
I hung around
On the planet mabel
She tried to stand
But she was not able
She tried to find the truth
She tried to colonize space
She only had a few
But it was a good race
Old black dawning is coming on
Old black dawning is coming on
Old black dawning
Old black dawning
Im always happy to
Go down to old tucson
After you had your fun
Its time to move on
Ive got a favorite story
About the tower of babel
Some say its true
And some say its a fable
Old black dawning is coming on
Old black dawning is coming on
Old black dawning
Old black dawning
song performed by by Frank Black
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Wounded
'Thou canst not wish to live,' the surgeon said.
He clutched him, as a soul thrust forth from bliss
Clings to the ledge of Heaven! 'Would'st thou keep this
Poor branchless trunk?' 'But she would lean my head
Upon her breast; oh, let me live!' 'Be wise.'
'I could be very happy; both these eyes
Are left me; I should see her; she would kiss
My forehead: only let me live.'-He dies
Even in the passionate prayer. 'Good Doctor, say
If thou canst give more than another day
Of life?' 'I think there may be hope.' 'Pass on.
I will not buy it with some widow's son!'
'Help,' 'help,' 'help,' 'help!' 'God curse thee!' 'Doctor, stay,
Yon Frenchman went down earlier in the day.'
poem by Sydney Thompson Dobell
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He Gave Me No Meat
My brother, I am hungry,—give me food
Such as my Father gives me at his board;
He has for many years been to thee good,
Thou canst a morsel then to me afford;
I do not ask of thee a grain of that
Thou offerest when I call on thee for bread;
This is not of the wine nor olive fat,
But those who eat of this like thee are dead;
I ask the love the Father has for thee,
That thou should'st give it back to me again;
This shall my soul from pangs of hunger free,
And on my parched spirit fall like rain;
Then thou wilt prove a brother to my need,
For in the cross of Christ thou too canst bleed.
poem by Jones Very
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One Step Into The Light
One step into the light
One step away from night
Its the hardest step youre gonna take
The ship to take you there
Is waiting at the head
Of the stairs that lead up through your opening mind
Above the dark despair
Shines a light that we can share
Close your eyes and look up in between your brows
Then slowly breathing in
Feel the life force streaming in
Hold it there, then send it back to him
All the old things are returning
Cosmic circles ever turning
All the truth weve been yearning for
Life is our saviour, saviour, saviour, save your soul
The river of living breath
Is flowing through the sun
He was there before the earth began
The world will drag on you
Use his love to pull you through
Find the mission of your life and start to be
All the old things are returning
Cosmic circles ever turning
All the truth weve been yearning for
Life is our saviour, saviour, saviour, save your soul
Theres one thing I can do
Play my mellotron for you
Try to blow away your city blues
Your dreams are not unfound
Get your feet back on the ground
The truth will set us free, we cannot lose
We cannot love, we just have to choose
song performed by by Moody Blues
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stella Flammarum: An Ode to Halley's Comet
1 Strange wanderer out of the deeps,
2 Whence, journeying, come you?
3 From what far, unsunned sleeps
4 Did fate foredoom you,
5 Returning for ever again
6 Through the surgings of man,
7 A flaming, awesome portent of dread
8 Down the centuries' span?
9 Riddle! from the dark unwrung
10 By all earth's sages;--
11 God's fiery torch from His hand outflung,
12 To flame through the ages:
13 Thou Satan of planets eterne,
14 'Mid angry path,
15 Chained, in circlings vast, to burn
16 Out ancient wrath.
17 By what dread hand first loosed
18 From fires eternal?
19 With majesties dire infused
20 Of force supernal,
21 Takest thy headlong way
22 O'er the highways of space?
23 O wonderful, blossoming flower of fear
24 On the sky's far face!
25 What secret of destiny's will
26 In thy wild burning?
27 What portent dire of humanity's ill
28 In thy returning?
29 Or art thou brand of love
30 In masking of bale?
31 And bringest thou ever some mystical surcease
32 For all who wail?
33 Perchance, O Visitor dread,
34 Thou hast thine appointed
35 Task, thou bolt of the vast outsped!
36 With God's anointed,
37 Performest some endless toil
38 In the universe wide,
39 Feeding or curing some infinite need
40 Where the vast worlds ride.
41 Once, only once, thy face
42 Will I view in this breathing;
43 Just for a space thy majesty trace
44 'Mid earth's mad seething;
45 Ere I go hence to my place,
46 As thou to thy deeps,
47 Thou flambent core of a universe dread,
48 Where all else sleeps.
49 But thou and man's spirit are one,
50 Thou poet! thou flaming
51 Soul of the dauntless sun,
52 Past all reclaiming!
53 One in that red unrest,
54 That yearning, that surge,
55 That mounting surf of the infinite dream,
56 O'er eternity's verge.
poem by William Wilfred Campbell
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Home-sick
O time, great Healer! canst thou still
The crying hearts that feel the knife?
O great Restorer, canst thou fill
The wide gaps broken out of life
By love and duty's bitter strife?
O Friend, and canst thou, as they say,
Soothe all our troubles on thy breast,
Till, calm in death, they pass away,
And, one by one, are laid to rest
In unknown graves, beyond our quest?
Nay, there's a wound thou canst not ease;
Nay, there's a sickness past thine art.
Ah me! while I'm beyond the seas,
There'll be a sore place in my heart
That, at a touch, will throb and smart.
Nay, nay, with all thy skill—with all
The care and cunning thou mayst spend,
Thou canst but weakly patch the wall
That wrench of parting came to rend,
That gap no mason's hand can mend.
And as for buried sorrows—one
Hears every sound above its head;
Joys and prosperities may run
With happy footsteps o'er the dead,—
This grief of absence feels the tread.
O Time, thy graveyard is a street—
Thy graves no sculptured records crown;
Yet this one, trod of many feet,
Still shows the heap'd earth, fresh and brown,—
No foot of joy can press it down.
There velvet mosses soon will creep,
And grey and golden lichens grow;
There sweet white snowdrops soon will peep,
And purple violets bud and blow,
From winter's bosom, cloak'd in snow;
There summer lights and shades will fall,
And soft rains patter through the trees;
There slender grasses, frail and tall,
Will weave and whisper in the breeze—
'Twill be a grave in spite of these.
poem by Ada Cambridge
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Sooner Or Later
Come back and haunt me, follow me home
Give me a motive, swallow me whole
They say I've lost it, what could I know?
When I'm but a mockery, I'm so alone
Sooner or later
They'll find out there's a hole in the wall
Sooner or later
They'll find out there's a hole in the wall
Today is ours, condemned to be free
Free to keep breathing, free to believe
I look to find You down on my knees
Oh God I believe, please help me believe
Sooner or later
They'll find out there's a hole in the wall
Sooner or later
You'll find out that your dream could be that small
I'm a believer, help me believe
I'm a believer, help me believe
And I gave it all away and I lost who I am
I threw it all away with everything to gain
And I'm taking the leap with dreams of shrinking
With dreams of shrinking, yeah
Come back and haunt me, follow me home
Give me a motive, swallow me whole
Sooner or later, yeah
Sooner or later (they'll find out)...
song performed by by Switchfoot
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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