became ethereal, and, a bodiless consciousness, I followed far along the billows the waving light and the weird voice, and entered the depths of ocean. A clear and limitless vision was given me to behold all things; and presently I saw that from the shadow of night we had emerged where sunlight lay upon the deep. Beautiful, unutterably strange and beautiful, were the hues and forms amid the green waters. All around glanced the colors of the sunbow amid groves of coral and crystal halls, and shapes of exceeding loveliness moved through them by the light of their own brightness. It was a world of life. The emerald and ruby rocks were spangled with waving stars; on the sea-forest boughs swung crescent moons; strange, glittering creatures moved habitant in the sparry caves; and all throughout lived a slumbrous melody, like the dying tones of an organ. Death, too, had been there. The pebbly bed was strewed with the wrecks of navies. Uncounted treasures of diamonds and gold lay unhoarded; helmets and swords rested motionless where they fell; and all among the coral groves were scattered the bones of the dead, white and smoothand it was seen, where the maiden lay locked in her lover's arms, by her long hair flowing in threads of amber. Still glided on that guiding light, and louder and sweeter grew that melody of Ocean. Then uprose before me, yet afar, a vast and caverned concave. Crystal were the pillars thereof, gems and pearls were scattered on its pave, and the fretted roof blazed with the diamonds of a world. There were born those solemn harmonies-there moved forms of light, and faces, indistinct but of sad and spiritual beauty, looked forth by the shining columns. Yet nearer came I; and I saw, far within and dim with templed twilight, a throne of ocean-stone, rising with many gleaming steps, and adorned with many rare and marvelous things. Then unembodied voices, I knew not whence, spoke to my spirit.

Why, then, of us seekest thou
From sadness relief,
Who endure eternal
Existence and grief?
If with us thou inherit
Pain knowing no cure,
With us, hapless spirit,
Endure! endure !

THIRD VOICE.

Hast thou learned all earth's wisdom
And magical lore,

That thou seek'st the green ocean

To win for thee more?
Oh! know'st thou not, mortal,
Aspiring so high,

That knowledge is sorrow,
And wisdom a sigh !--
Or seek'st thou more beauty
Than earth can bestow,
Within the deep waters,

Where bright colors glow-
Where strange things are lying
Of wonderful hue,
And momently changing
To tints ever new?
But beauty is fleeting

As sound on the wind,
Which leaves not a trace of

Its passage behind!
And when it has vanished,
Remains but a grief,
That splendor so lovely
Hath being so brief!

FOURTH VOICE.

Or would'st thou escape from
The Present, the Past,
In our deep waters viewing
Thy dark future glassed?
Ah! seek not to double

The woes of life's day-
From our ocean-halls haste thee,
Oh! haste thee away!

ALL THE VOICES.

But if thou wilt not stay thy steps
Who wanderest here alone,
Lo! yonder is our Lord,
Behold the throne!
Approach-draw near,
Nor faint nor fear,

Before his sadly-beaming eyes,
But tell thy wsihes in his ear,
Which gathereth all the mysteries
Of this round, rolling sphere.

Then I looked, and above the shining throne uprose a shadowy and awful form. His presence darkened the green waters around, and the deep-born melodies grew still; and ever it was greater and more awful as I gazed upon it. I drew near, yet unfaltering, and a voice like a forest wind fell upon my ear; and to that voice I answered.

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

What wouldst thou, child of sorrow?
Wherefore such ?
What countenance hath told thee?

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

That thou art mortal.

Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.
Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.

For I know

Doth no sorrow fall
But on Earth's children? In thy face I gaze
And thou art sad-with a vast tranquil gloom
Like some still shadows. Is it, then, that ye
In your most secret and unfathomed reign
Are pure but joyless?

Seek thou not to read
The life of higher natures. 'Tis enough
To know thine own immortal misery!
I see thee that thou wear'st beyond thy race
Inexplicable sorrow. What would'st thou ?
Her presence and her long-desired voice.
Thou hast not named to me or form or spirit.
There are whose presence comes in sudden light
And knows no bodily shape; and there be voices
That wander, sweet and solitary sounds,

From sphere to sphere, whose nature only One
Hath known forever.

From the universe

Of things made bright and glorious, bring the brightest,
Of all created essences that are-

The purest-pure beyond all subtlest thought,
And fairest of all forms that ever yet

Surprised the dreamer.

Idle is thine answer!

Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

My love was in the Beautiful-adored,
Till adoration had in me become
Essential and familiar. Nature first

My early friend, my dear and earnest mother,
Leading me hourly through her wondrous reign,
Filled the deep urn of joy till it ran o'er.
Boyhood on infancy, and youth on boyhood,
Intensely grew, to feel with deeper sense
Th' infinitude of her wild mysteries;

Her whispers were my teachings, stirring more
My soul in lonely haunts than loud-mouthed trump
The serried soldiers on the front of battle.

I had no life but as I lived in her;

And she did seem to make all hues and forms,

All sounds, all seasons, for my own delight.

The gliding spring, with low and winning voice,

Bearing young leaves and flowers; the strong-soul'd summer
Glowing with life, watching the ancient skies,
By woods and mighty waters; autumn slow,
Tranquilly walking through the faded trees,
His still pale empire; and the world of white,
When winter came, and o'er the mountains high
Flung his cold robe, alike had charms for me.
The breaking morn, the noon, the shadowy eve,
Silence, and starlight, and the sad, meek moon,
Clouds, mountains, winds, and ocean's solemn waste-
All these I loved, and in that love did dwell
With a most constant worship.

Thou fed'st thy deathless nature!

Not in vain

Yet I grew
Restless amid the universe of things;
Not that they seemed not glorious as at first,
For never to the soul that once hath felt
Fades their immortal beauty-but I knew
A growing void within I could not fill.

"The beautiful," I said, "is of the mind:

My thought makes all things lovely: lo! there are-
From radiant heights of knowledge distant seen-
Fields thrice more fair than ever nature shows

To souls untaught, nor can the outward world
Give any forms so fair as may arise
Within the chambers of our imagery.
Let me ascend those heights-let me create
These shapes celestial!" So I went aside
From the broad world, and in ancestral tower
Nearest the stars, while yet my years were few,
Became familiar with all forms of thought,
All records of all times, all ways of men-
Or, if the paths of nature knew my steps,

Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.

Erdolph.

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

It was to seek each wild and hidden haunt,
Gathering strange wisdom-evermore the while
Filling my soul with shapes more beautiful
Than e'er yet, born of sunlight and the air,
Dwelt in the morning clouds, or, shorter-lived,
Had wings among the Hours.

Thou wast not happy!
We also know, for ages numbered not,
Beauty and knowledge.

Clearly dost thou see
The poor conditions of existence. Never
Could joy abide with me, but emptiness
Within me ached, like the great void of space
Before that worlds were made. "Alas!" I said,
“I have beheld these fairest things alone!
What joy can be to solitary eyes

Looking on nature or the realms of thought :"
-Thenceforth, unrestingly, I sought me out
Clear intellects and mighty-one by one

I sought them-men whose fiery feet had climbed
To dazzling heights of science, and their gaze
Attained to widest vision: we became
Co-rulers in such high ethereal reign-

Gaining ?

Most rare and glittering mockery! Sublimely lived we-loftily and chill

We stood as on the cold and shining top

Of some huge berg above the northern Pole,

Where spreads the pale, thin sky, and streaming o'er

A world of glaciers and the icy sea,

The very light seems frozen. "Not by these

Comes joy!" again I said. "But were there one,
The only such-sole reflex of my being!

Not greater need have twin-born stars in heaven
To move around each other, and o'ergaze
Th' encircling universe by mutual light,
Than have two radiant minds to read anew
The gifts of knowledge in each other's eyes.
And searching?

Long the search and vain as long!
Nor on the earth, in vale, or city thronged-
Nor in the elements, air, water, fire-
Could I this dear Existence ever find.

Within my breast vain visions, fair but fleet,
Made ceaseless change of sorrows, but the years
Passed over heedlessly as April shadows
O'erglide the forest tops nor know what dreams
May haunt the gloomy depths.

Thou didst have need
To love and be beloved. What scorn had seized thee
That no sweet spirit lapped in maiden mould,
Appeared thine imaged wish-

What answer, save,

I was not of that nature? for with me
Beautiful weakness never could have power,
And such are all Eve's daughters. None did seem-
Thou pausest-and a shade came over thee.
For then, even then, one earthly form before me
Pale Memory led, for whose sake to have loved,
Could I have bent me so, had not been vain !
High-born she was, but of a flower-like pride,

Spirit of Ocean.
Erdolph.

Tender as tears-serene in her young grace,
And pure as young, and beautiful as pure:
Clear-browed Eliria! and her stately mind
Had yet such delicate thought, unconscious born,
As stirs a spirit new-lighted on the earth,
Wondering, o'er-charmed, at every common thing,
So moulded was she, and her mind had strength
Beyond her equals. But with her, to love
Was native as a plant that comes with spring-
Suddenly comes and never blooms but once!
And Destiny, itself the slave of Chance,
Made me to her-what matters it! she died,
As dies the Wind-Flower with excess of light,
And trembled into darkness! o'er the dust-
What tears had'st thou to give?

No more! she sleeps
Nor knows how fair between my soul and her
Forever rose the Ideal-still forever
Changed by the breath of Fancy, as the wind
Changes the bright shape of a summer cloud.

'Twas on a day-no moment can have
In all duration to forget that day-
A summer's day I laid me down to rest

power

By a cool fountain. Slumber stole upon me,
And dreams confused with many images

And shifting scenes. But quickly these were past,
And light most magical did shine around,
Nor of the sun nor moon, but as the shining
Of some large solemn star; and while I gazed
In mute astonishment, appeared before me-
So fair, so pure, so eloquent with life,
What golden pen of angel can describe

That thing of earth and heaven-a chisel'd form
That looked embodied light-a countenance
Of sad and spiritual beauty, sweet
Ineffably, reflecting in its mien

A heaven of loveliness, and mantled o'er
With the most holy, bright intelligence

Of deep and starry midnight. Long I yearned
To hear a voice from her, but dared not speak
Lest I should scare away the gentle vision-
I strove to speak, but with a motion slow
As ship that sails the sea-yet, ah! too quick
For me that wondered after her!-she passed,
Leaving a darkness for so much of light!
And I awoke to sigh, that I had found
And lost again what I had sought so long!
But ever from that hour, by night, by day,

In dreams, in reveries, I have beheld

The self-same form and face which did appear
By that cool fountain. Yea! all times, all places
Have still presented to my mental eye
The same sweet image. I have seen it look
From heaven's clear mirror; I have seen it glazed
Within the running stream, in shady fount,
On sleeping lake, on ocean's face, and oft,
Full often called and listened for an answer.
Thus, ever present with her, yet debarred
From converse sweet, I have in midnight vigils
Pored over ancient scrolls of wicked lore,