Author: Arthur Hugh Clough

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    On the mountain, in the woodland,
    In the shaded secret dell,
    I have seen thee, I have met thee!
    In the soft ambrosial hours of night,
    In darkness silent sweet
    I beheld thee, I was with thee,
    I was thine, and thou wert mine!

    When I gazed in palace-chambers,
    When I trod the rustic dance,
    Earthly maids were fair to look on,
    Earthly maidens hearts were kind:
    Fair to look on, fair to love:
    But the life, the life to me,
    Twas the death, the death to them,
    In the spying, prying, prating
    Of a curious cruel world.
    At a touch, a breath they fade,
    They languish, droop, and die;
    Yea, the juices change to sourness,
    And the tints to clammy brown;
    And the softness unto foulness,
    And the odour unto stench.
    Let alone and leave to bloom;
    Pass aside, nor make to die,
    In the woodland, on the mountain,
    Thou art mine, and I am thine.

    So I passed.Amid the uplands,
    In the forests, on whose skirts
    Pace unstartled, feed unfearing
    Do the roe-deer and the red,
    While I hungered, while I thirsted,
    While the night was deepest dark,
    Who was I, that thou shouldst meet me?
    Who was I, thou didst not pass?
    Who was I, that I should say to thee
    Thou art mine, and I am thine?

    To the air from whence thou camest
    Thou returnest, thou art gone;
    Self-created, discreated,
    Re-created, ever fresh,
    Ever young!
    As a lake its mirrored mountains
    At a moment, unregretting,
    Unresisting, unreclaiming,
    Without preface, without question,
    On the silent shifting levels
    Lets depart,
    Shows, effaces and replaces
    For what is, anon is not;
    What has been, agains to be;
    Ever new and ever young
    Thou art mine, and I am thine.

    Art thou she that walks the skies,
    That rides the starry night?
    I know not
    For my meanness dares not claim the truth
    Thy loveliness declares.
    But the face thou showst the world is not
    The face thou showst to me;
    And the look that I have looked in
    Is of none but me beheld.
    I know not; but I know
    I am thine, and thou art mine.

    And I watch: the orb behind
    As it fleeteth, faint and fair
    In the depth of azure night,
    In the violet blank, I trace
    By an outline faint and fair
    Her whom none but I beheld.
    By her orb she moveth slow,
    Graceful-slow, serenely firm,
    Maiden-Goddess! while her robe
    The adoring planets kiss.
    And I too cower and ask,
    Wert thou mine, and was I thine?

    Hath a cloud oercast the sky?
    Is it cloud upon the mountain-sides
    Or haze of dewy river-banks
    Below?
    Or around me,
    To enfold me, to conceal,
    Doth a mystic magic veil,
    A celestial separation,
    As of curtains hymeneal,
    Undiscerned yet all excluding,
    Interpose?
    For the pine-tree boles are dimmer,
    And the stars bedimmed above;
    In perspective brief, uncertain,
    Are the forest-alleys closed,
    And to whispers indistinctest
    The resounding torrents lulled.
    Can it be, and can it be?
    Upon Earth and here below,
    In the woodland at my side
    Thou art with me, thou art here.

    Twas the vapour of the perfume
    Of the presence that should be,
    That enwrapt me!
    That enwraps us,
    O my Goddess, O my Queen!
    And I turn
    At thy feet to fall before thee;
    And thou wilt not:
    At thy feet to kneel and reach and kiss thy finger-tips;
    And thou wilt not:
    And I feel thine arms that stay me,
    And I feel
    O mine own, mine own, mine own,
    I am thine, and thou art mine!

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Type of Poem: Reflective Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a profound exploration of the themes of love and nature, oscillating between the tangible and the ethereal. The poet's subject is an entity that exists both within the natural world and beyond it, possibly suggestive of a divine or otherworldly love. In the poet's interactions with this entity, there is a recurring refrain: "Thou art mine, and I am thine," which underscores the depth of their bond.

The structure of the poem is free verse, allowing the poet to weave intricate imagery and emotion without being bound by traditional rhythmic constraints. The tone is reverent, full of awe and yearning, and marked by a sense of solitude. The poem's vivid imagery, such as "the shaded secret dell" and "the odour unto stench," paints a vivid picture of the world in which the poet's love exists. The use of contrast, particularly between the freshness and decay, and the transformation of the beloved entity, hint at the fleeting nature of moments and feelings. The repeated questioning of the poet's worthiness for such an encounter adds a layer of humility and wonder to the narrative.

The poem employs several literary devices, among which the use of personification stands out. The beloved entity is described in human terms, yet remains elusive and ethereal. This ambiguity adds to the mystical quality of the poem. The use of repetition, particularly of the phrase "Thou art mine, and I am thine," serves to emphasize the connection between the poet and the beloved entity. In the end, the poem leaves a lasting impression of a profound, intangible love that transcends the physical world, and the poet's reverence and longing for this ethereal entity.