E .
N . da
C. Andrade .
THE
SWORD
SONG .
o
H
fair
and
straight and
like
a naked
sword
A
splendour
at morning ,
a
light
of victories ,
Bright, beautiful , and
glorious award
To
men
of the
creative deities
Who
forge
up
flesh with
song, and
singing
fashion
The
fair
long
lines , and make it
sharp
with
passion
And
send it down
among
us for
a sword .
- A
blade of
steel with
hilts of
subtle
gold ,
A
sword
between
two
lilies ,
a
sword
unsheathed
Swung
among
snowflakes, sweet , hard , tender , cold .
Oh
fair
and straight,
in
a
furnace of delight
With
naked
love
to
blow
the flames , they
wrought
Your beauty
of dreams
enored
in
summer
night ,
Sharp
flashes
of
song, and
poets' molten thought ,
And
golden
ornaments
of prodigal spring ,
And
cool
in
tears
they
tempered
the
lovely
thing ,
A
cruelty ,
a
wonder ,
a delight.
-
A
little
cruel , for
steel must
needs
be
keen
And
cruel,
but
a
blade
of
wonder,
with
spells
en
wreathed ,
But
a
subtle
delight
of
shape
and
strength
and
sheen .