{"id":132,"date":"2021-04-01T10:49:44","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T14:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/flintandfeather\/?post_type=chapter&p=132"},"modified":"2022-02-04T09:31:56","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:31:56","slug":"nocturne","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/chapter\/nocturne\/","title":{"raw":"Nocturne","rendered":"Nocturne"},"content":{"raw":"Night of Mid-June, in heavy vapours dying,\r\nLike priestly hands thy holy touch is lying\r\nUpon the world\u2019s wide brow;\r\nGod-like and grand all nature is commanding\r\nThe \u201cpeace that passes human understanding\u201d;\r\nI, also, feel it now.\r\n\r\nWhat matters it to-night, if one life treasure\r\nI covet, is not mine! Am I to measure\r\nThe gifts of Heaven\u2019s decree\r\nBy my desires? O! life for ever longing\r\nFor some far gift, where many gifts are thronging,\r\nGod wills, it may not be.\r\n\r\nAm I to learn that longing, lifted higher,\r\nPerhaps will catch the gleam of sacred fire\r\nThat shows my cross is gold?\r\nThat underneath this cross\u2014however lowly,\r\nA jewel rests, white, beautiful and holy,\r\nWhose worth can not be told.\r\n\r\nLike to a scene I watched one day in wonder:\u2014\r\nA city, great and powerful, lay under\r\nA sky of grey and gold;\r\nThe sun outbreaking in his farewell hour,\r\nWas scattering afar a yellow shower\r\nOf light, that aureoled\r\n\r\nWith brief hot touch, so marvellous and shining,\r\nA hundred steeples on the sky out-lining,\r\nLike network threads of fire;\r\nAbove them all, with halo far outspreading,\r\nI saw a golden cross in glory heading\r\nA consecrated spire:\r\n\r\nI only saw its gleaming form uplifting,\r\nAgainst the clouds of grey to seaward drifting,\r\nAnd yet I surely know\r\nBeneath the seen, a great unseen is resting,\r\nFor while the cross that pinnacle is cresting,\r\nAn Altar lies below.\r\n\r\n. . . . .\r\n\r\nNight of Mid-June, so slumberous and tender,\r\nNight of Mid-June, transcendent in thy splendour\r\nThy silent wings enfold\r\nAnd hush my longing, as at thy desire\r\nAll colour fades from round that far-off spire,\r\nExcept its cross of gold.","rendered":"

Night of Mid-June, in heavy vapours dying,
\nLike priestly hands thy holy touch is lying
\nUpon the world\u2019s wide brow;
\nGod-like and grand all nature is commanding
\nThe \u201cpeace that passes human understanding\u201d;
\nI, also, feel it now.<\/p>\n

What matters it to-night, if one life treasure
\nI covet, is not mine! Am I to measure
\nThe gifts of Heaven\u2019s decree
\nBy my desires? O! life for ever longing
\nFor some far gift, where many gifts are thronging,
\nGod wills, it may not be.<\/p>\n

Am I to learn that longing, lifted higher,
\nPerhaps will catch the gleam of sacred fire
\nThat shows my cross is gold?
\nThat underneath this cross\u2014however lowly,
\nA jewel rests, white, beautiful and holy,
\nWhose worth can not be told.<\/p>\n

Like to a scene I watched one day in wonder:\u2014
\nA city, great and powerful, lay under
\nA sky of grey and gold;
\nThe sun outbreaking in his farewell hour,
\nWas scattering afar a yellow shower
\nOf light, that aureoled<\/p>\n

With brief hot touch, so marvellous and shining,
\nA hundred steeples on the sky out-lining,
\nLike network threads of fire;
\nAbove them all, with halo far outspreading,
\nI saw a golden cross in glory heading
\nA consecrated spire:<\/p>\n

I only saw its gleaming form uplifting,
\nAgainst the clouds of grey to seaward drifting,
\nAnd yet I surely know
\nBeneath the seen, a great unseen is resting,
\nFor while the cross that pinnacle is cresting,
\nAn Altar lies below.<\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/p>\n

Night of Mid-June, so slumberous and tender,
\nNight of Mid-June, transcendent in thy splendour
\nThy silent wings enfold
\nAnd hush my longing, as at thy desire
\nAll colour fades from round that far-off spire,
\nExcept its cross of gold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":35,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-132","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/132\/revisions\/133"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/132\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=132"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=132"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}