Algernon Charles Swinburne - Love, that is first and last of all things made,...

Love, that is first and last of all things made, The light that has the living world for shade, The spirit that for temporal veil has onThe souls of all men woven in unison, One fiery raiment with all lives inwroughtAnd lights of sunny and starry deed and thought, And alway through new act and passion newShines the divine same body and beauty through, The body spiritual of fire and lightThat is to worldly noon as noon to night; Love, that is flesh upon the spirit of manAnd spirit within the flesh whence breath began; Love, that keeps all the choir of lives in chime; Love, that is blood within the veins of time; That wrought the whole world without stroke of hand, Shaping the breadth of sea, the length of land, And with the pulse and motion of his breathThrough the great heart of the earth strikes life and death, The sweet twain chords that make the sweet tune liveThrough day and night of things alternative, Through silence and through sound of stress and strife, And ebb and flow of dying death and life: Love, that sounds loud or light in all men's ears, Whence all men's eyes take fire from sparks of tears, That binds on all men's feet or chains or wings; Love that is root and fruit of terrene things; Love, that the whole world's waters shall not drown, The whole world's fiery forces not burn down; Love, that what time his own hands guard his headThe whole world's wrath and strength shall not strike dead; Love, that if once his own hands make his graveThe whole world's pity and sorrow shall not save; Love, that for very life shall not be sold, Nor bought nor bound with iron nor with gold; So strong that heaven, could love bid heaven farewell, Would turn to fruitless and unflowering hell; So sweet that hell, to hell could love be given, Would turn to splendid and sonorous heaven; Love that is fire within thee and light above, And lives by grace of nothing but of love; Through many and lovely thoughts and much desireLed these twain to the life of tears and fire; Through many and lovely days and much delightLed these twain to the lifeless life of night.

Algernon Charles Swinburne

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Love, that is first and last of all things made, The light that has the living world for shade, The spirit that for temporal veil has onThe souls of all men woven in unison, One fiery raiment with all lives inwroughtAnd lights of sunny and starry deed and thought, And alway through new act and passion newShines the divine same body and beauty through, The body spiritual of fire and lightThat is to worldly noon as noon to night; Love, that is flesh upon the spirit of manAnd spirit within the flesh whence breath began; Love, that keeps all the choir of lives in chime; Love, that is blood within the veins of time; That wrought the whole world without stroke of hand, Shaping the breadth of sea, the length of land, And with the pulse and motion of his breathThrough the great heart of the earth strikes life and death, The sweet twain chords that make the sweet tune liveThrough day and night of things alternative, Through silence and through sound of stress and strife, And ebb and flow of dying death and life: Love, that sounds loud or light in all men's ears, Whence all men's eyes take fire from sparks of tears, That binds on all men's feet or chains or wings; Love that is root and fruit of terrene things; Love, that the whole world's waters shall not drown, The whole world's fiery forces not burn down; Love, that what time his own hands guard his headThe whole world's wrath and strength shall not strike dead; Love, that if once his own hands make his graveThe whole world's pity and sorrow shall not save; Love, that for very life shall not be sold, Nor bought nor bound with iron nor with gold; So strong that heaven, could love bid heaven farewell, Would turn to fruitless and unflowering hell; So sweet that hell, to hell could love be given, Would turn to splendid and sonorous heaven; Love that is fire within thee and light above, And lives by grace of nothing but of love; Through many and lovely thoughts and much desireLed these twain to the life of tears and fire; Through many and lovely days and much delightLed these twain to the lifeless life of night. Algernon Charles Swinburne

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love things made light living world shade spirit temporal veil onthe souls men woven unison fiery raiment lives inwroughtand lights sunny starry deed thought alway act passion newshines divine body beauty spiritual fire lightthat worldly noon night flesh manand breath began choir chime blood veins time wrought stroke hand shaping breadth sea length land pulse motion breaththrough great heart earth strikes life death sweet twain chords make tune livethrough day alternative silence sound stress strife ebb flow dying sounds loud men' ears eyes sparks tears binds feet chains wings root fruit terrene world' waters drown forces burn hands guard headthe wrath strength strike dead gravethe pity sorrow save sold bought bound iron gold strong heaven bid farewell turn fruitless unflowering hell splendid sonorous thee grace lovely thoughts desireled days delightled lifeless

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