Songs of the Springtides and Birthday OdeTaken from The Collected Poetical Works of Algernon CharlesSwinburne—Vol. III
To exalt again the sun's child and the sea's;

For as wild mares in Thessaly grow great

With child of ravishing winds, that violate

Their leaping length of limb with manes like fire

And eyes outburning heaven's

With fires more violent than the lightning levin's

And breath drained out and desperate of desire,

Even so the spirit in him, when winds grew strong,

Grew great with child of song.

Nor less than when his veins first leapt for joy

To draw delight in such as burns a boy,

Now too the soul of all his senses felt

The passionate pride of deep sea-pulses dealt

Through nerve and jubilant vein

As from the love and largess of old time,

And with his heart again

The tidal throb of all the tides keep rhyme

And charm him from his own soul's separate sense

With infinite and invasive influence

That made strength sweet in him and sweetness strong,


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