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.^87 S6 1893

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SONNETS

BY

H.

CORDELIA RAY

NEW YORK
1893

&t^

Copyright,

1893,

By H. CORDELIA

RAY

y
Press of J. J. Little & Co. Astor Place, New York

CONTENTS.
To MY MOTHER,
Life,

.......
.

.7
9
.

Aspiration,

Incompleteness,
Self-mastery,
NiOBE,
.

-13
-15

....
.

-I?
^9

The two

musicians,

The

poet's ministrants,

.21
23

Milton,

Shakespeare,

-25 .27

Raphael,
Beethoven,

.29

TO MY MOTHER.
JANUARY
I,

1891.

Sweet Mother
Thou who

rare in gifts of tenderness

didst nurse

my child-life

into bloom,

And for each native grace made ample room To blossom in love's light, how can we bless
The Power
Of
Its
life's

that gave thee to us

In the stress

great conflict, what could e'er illume

its

mystic shadows and

deepest gloom,
!

Like smiles and loving words from thee

No

less

Than widest sunshine

is

thy sympathy.

precious Heart

so rich in sacrifice.

And boon
love,

beyond

compare

supremest
!

May

Heaven's choicest blessings rest on thee.

costliest price

Rarer than jewels of the

And

Peace brood o'er thy path like calmest

!

dove

LIFE.

Life

Ay, what

is

it ?

E'en a

moment spun
yet,

From

cycles of eternity.

And

What wrestHng
What

'mid the fever and the fret

!

Of tangled purposes and hopes undone

affluence of love
!

What

vict'ries

won

In agonies of silence, ere trust met

manifold fulfillment, and the wet,

!

Beseeching eyes saw splendors past the sun

What

struggle in the

web

of circumstance,
!

And

yearning

in

the winged music

All,

One
Till,

restless strife

from

fetters to

be free

gathered to eternity's expanse,

Is that brief

moment
best,

at the Feather's call.

'tis

Life

Ay, at

but a mystery

I**

ASPIRATION.

We climb the slopes

And
Sweet
siren

of

life

with throbbing heart,

star.

eager pulse, like children toward a

music cometh from

afar,

To
The

lure us on meanwhile.

Responsive

start

nightingales to richer song than Art

teach.

Can ever

No

passing shadows
;

mar

Awhile the dewy skies

no inner jar

Of

conflict bids us with

our quest to part.

We
We

see

adown the

distance, rainbow-arched,
!

What
And

melting aisles of liquid light and bloom

all

hasten, tremulous, with lips

parched.

eyes wide-stretched, nor dream of coming gloom.

Enough

that something held almost divine

stirs.

Within us ever

Can we
II

repine

INCOMPLETENESS.

What

soul hath struck

life's
?

Its

meed

of melody,
it

From

strange instrument whereon

plays

Are the aspiring

strains of
full

weary days

E'er gathered in their

intensity,

Swelling a psalm incomparable, free

To utter Moan on Of God in

Mid
baffled

all

their yearning

Nay

the lays

inadequately, for the ways

shaping souls we

may
in

not see.

hopes we cry out

our need,

And

wrestle in the shadows, wond'ring

e'er

when

Such dissonance can

be sweet, and how.

will

But soon the watching Father

have freed
:

Our

earthly ears to catch the music

of

then

The chrism
each brow.
r***

perfect

peace shall bathe

13

SELF-MASTERY.

To

catch the spirit in

its

wayward

flight
!

Through mazes
For when

manifold,

what task supreme

to floods has
skill

grown the quiet stream,

its

Much human

must aid

rage to fight

And when

wild winds invade the solemn night,

a

Seems not man's vaunted power but

dream ?

And

still

more

futile, ay,

we

e'en

must deem

This quest to tame the

Its restless

soul,

and guide aright

it

wanderings,

to
Full
:

lure

back
a

To

shoals of calm.

many

moan and
merged

sigh

Attend the
prayer,

strife

till,

effort

in

Oft uttered, clung to

when of strength the lack

the answer to our cry
lifts
:

Seems

direst

brings

gift

from

Him who
15

our ev'ry care.

NIOBE.

MOTHER-HEART

when

fast the

arrows

flew,
fell,

Like blinding lightning, smiting as they

One
Could

after one,
fitly

one after one, what knell

!

voice thy anguish

Sorrow grew

To throes intensest, when Thy youngest, too, must

Avengers wroth,
just

thy sad soul

go.

knew

Was

it
?

not well,

one to spare

Ay,

tell

The
The

ages of soul-struggle sterner?

flinty stone,

Through

image of despair,
grief did flow

Sad Niobe, thy maddened

In bitt'rest tears,

when

all
!

thy wailing prayer

Was
Is

so denied.

Alas

what weight of woe

!

prisoned in thy melancholy eyes

What

mother-love beneath the Stoic

lies

17

THE TWO MUSICIANS.

Love
plays a lute, and

Thought an organ grand

those a restless strain,
to

These tones are

stately,

Seeming by cadenced joy

measure pain,

And

capture Fancy by the soft airs fanned.

his paeans thrilling

Thought sends
land

through the

The
Find

worshipers that

bow

before his fane

rest in contemplation, spirit-gain

In sweetest harmonies.

Yon

rapturous band,
lute,

Kneeling to catch the music of the

Have yearning
there

in their eyes, yet

something

That

baffles all

our reas'ning

is

it

peace,

Or

only glances with beseeching mute?

it

Sometimes

deepens into holy prayer.

!

Enchanted Love

thy music never cease

19

THE POETS MINISTRANTS.

The
smiling

Dawn, with diadem

of dew,

Brings sunrise odors to perfume his shrine;

Blithe

Zephyr fans him, and

soft

moonbeams

twine

An

aureole to crown him, of a hue

fair.

Surpassing

The

stately stars

renew
incline

Majestic measures, that he

may
;

His soul unto

their sweetness
;

whispers fine

From

spirit-nymphs allure him

not a few
sisters bring.

The

gifts chaste
is

Fancy and her

Rare

the lyre the

Muses

for

him wrought,

different

meaning

thrills in ev'ry string,

With

ev'ry changing

mood

of life so fraught.
flow,

Invoked by him, when such the strains that How can the poet eer his song forego!
21

MILTON.

POET gifted with the sight divine

To

thee 'twas given Eden's groves to pace

that
first

With

pair, in
:

whom

the

human

race

Their kinship claim

and angels did

incline

Great Michael, holy Gabriel Their heavenly

couldst trace
logic,

to

twine

through which

thou

The

rich

outpourings of celestial grace

Mingled with argument, around the shrine

Where thou

didst linger, vision-rapt, intent

To

catch the sacred mystery of Heaven.

Nor was thy longing

vain

a soul resolved

To ponder

truth

supreme

to thee

was

lent
riv'n.

For thy not

sightless eyes the vail

was

Redemption's problem unto thee well solved.

23

SHAKESPEARE.

We

wonder what the horoscope did show

Shakespeare came to
earth.

When

Were

planets there,

Grouped

In

unique arrangement

Unaware
lo
!

His age of aught so marvelous, when

He
Is

speaks

men

listen
!

what

of joy or

woe

not revealed

love, hatred, carking care,

All quiv'ring 'neath his magic touch.

Is thick

The
now

air

with beauteous elves, a dainty row.

e'en

Anon, with droning witches, and

Stalks

gloomy Hamlet, bent on vengeance

dread.

One

after

one they come, smiling or scarred,

Wrought by

that

mind prismatic

to which

bow
fed,

All lesser minds.

They by thee would be

!

Poet incomparable

Avon's Bard

25

RAPHAEL.
Great
Painter
!

to thy soul

aglow with thought,

Celestial forms their glory did reveal.

Not unrewarded wast thou

At Beauty's sacred
altar
;

left to

kneel

not for naught

Thy

gift of

consecration hadst thou brought.

We
Is

see thee pensive, radiant, and there steal

;

Soft shadows, mystic lights

th'

angelic seal

on thy dreamy brow

thy soul hath caught

it

The

essence of the harmony

craved.
!

Behold the Mother and the Child Divine

What
Thy
spirit

rapt repose

what majesty serene

tuned to contemplation, laved

In founts of light.

For thee we would entwine

The

asphodel bright with celestial sheen.

27

BEETHOVEN.

GREAT tone-master
Droops,

low thy massive head

fain

heavy with the thoughts that

would weave
Themselves
in interlacing chords, that

leave

Sublimest music.

Inspiration sped

On dainty pinions to And warbling notes

As

thy natal bed,

did
;

all

the silence cleave

for a benediction

well believe
led,

The

votaries that hie

where thou hast

In thy supreme endowment.

Who
?

as well

Can wake
muse.

the Orphic echoes

Thou

dost

And
In

harmony, the sweetest,

is

evolved.

In grave sonatas rich with surging swell.

matchless symphonies

but

thou couldst

choose

The mystery

of music thou hast solved.

29

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