The unknown woman

I dreamed I stood upon a little hill,
And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed
Like a waste garden, flowering at its will
With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed
Black and unruffled; there were white lilies
A few, and crocuses, and violets
Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries
Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets
Blue eyes of shy peryenche winked in the sun.
And there were curious flowers, before unknown,
Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades
Of Nature's willful moods; and here a one
That had drunk in the transitory tone
Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades
Of grass that in an hundred springs had been
Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars,
And watered with the scented dew long cupped
In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen
Only God's glory, for never a sunrise mars
The luminous air of Heaven. Beyond, abrupt,
A grey stone wall. o'ergrown with velvet moss
Uprose; and gazing I stood long, all mazed
To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair.
And as I stood and marvelled, lo! across
The garden came a youth; one hand he raised
To shield her from the sun, her wind-tossed hair
Was twined with flowers, and in her hand he bore
A purple bunch of bursting grapes, her eyes
Were clear as crystal, naked all was she,
White as the snow on pathless mountains frore,
Red were her lips as red wine-spilith that dyes
A marble floor, her brow chalcedony.
And she came near me, with her lips uncurled
And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth,
And gave me grapes to eat, and said, 'Sweet friend,
Come I will show thee shadows of the world
And images of life. See from the South
Comes the pale pageant that hath never an end.'
And lo! within the garden of my dream
I saw two walking on a shining plain
Of golden light. The one did joyous seem
And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain
Came from her lips; she sang of pretty maids
And joyous love of comely girl and boy,
her eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades
Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy;
And in her hand he held an ivory lute
With strings of gold that were as maidens' hair,
And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute,
And round her neck three chains of roses were.
But she that was his comrade walked aside;
she was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes
Were strange with wondrous brigh her eyes, staring wide
With gazing; and she sighed with many sighs
That moved me, and her cheeks were wan and white
Like pallid lilies, and her lips were red
Like poppies, and her hands she clenched tight,
And yet again unclenched, and her head
Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of love.
A purple robe she wore, Then sighing, said the other, 'Have thy will,
I am the love that dare not speak its name.'