THE UNATTAINED
A gem apart
In the unreached heart
Of a shy and secret place;
Swift-winged in flight
As a meteor’s light
In the far-off field of space.
More sweet and clear
To the spirit’s ear
Than a wave-song on the beach;
Like the baffling blue
Of a mountain view,
Or a dream just out of reach.
Like light withdrawn
By a rain-swept dawn,
When the clouds are wild and gray;
Like a wind that blows
Through the orchard close
Ever and ever away.
William Hamilton Hayne.