The Seas Of Noon

Out where the river joins the sea,
Where sweet and salt in union be,
Where sails are bent and winds are free
In rosy hours of morn
Thro prattling waves and laughing flow
Of silver that the broad bows throw
The mermaids carolling down below,
While Triton winds his horn
Oh, boldly let me take you, dear,
The rail awash, the offing clear,
Far and away our boat we ll steer
To the sleeping seas of noon,
The seas of noon, the seas of calm,
Of warmth and light and ocean balm,
Where silence seems a Sabbath psalm
Whereof love dreams the tune.
The flag may droop adown the mast,
The tiller from the hand be cast,
Our boat a speck amid the vast,
A lone thing white of wing,
And tho the face be washed with spray
Red lips shall kiss the sting away,
Our hearts shall beat the rondelay
That love's own minstrels sing.
We'll drink the wine of topaz hue,
Whose grapes grew golden in the dew
Of hills that Aphrodite knew
On Cytherea's isle.
We'll banquet on the breasts of doves,
On dolphins fins and wings of loves
Found poaching in Diana's groves,
And snared with wicked wile.
Dark Proserpina we'll invoke
With golden leaves from Roanoke
In fine spun whirls of faint blue smoke
Upon the drowsy air,
And then, O love, twixt kiss and kiss,
We'll drink love's ether pure, I wis,
Drawn warm from hearts athrill in bliss,
Breathing love's only pray'r.