Eternal Longing: Ode to the Celestial Beloved
You are the light, the glow, the shine
The warmth, the blaze, the divine
I yearn, I ache, I pine
To feel your rays once more entwine
Around my weary mortal frame
Igniting passions that became
Long lost in life's dull game
Oh let your fires within me flame
Against the cold and bitter night
Your embrace was my delight
In your rays I felt so bright
Without you here there is no light
You are the tide, the current, the flow
The vast, the deep, the ebb and go
I drift, I fade, I lowly row
Journeying nowhere, my sails all blows
Upon the waters so immense
With you each moment was intense
Our spirits danced in joint commence
Now lonely adrift without your presence
Your waves washed me to distant shores
Showed me islands I'd not explored
With you I wanted nothing more
Now marooned, heartfelt and sore
You are the stone, the peak, the height
The lofty, the grand, the craggy sight
I climb, I scale, my muscles tight
Hoping to reach your noble height
But your summits of clouds are crowned
While I remain earthbound
Straining skyward without a sound
For your majesty I am spellbound
In your glory I found my worth
Climbing your cliffs since my birth
To fall from your grades would mean dearth
Without your stature, little is my worth
You are the gust, the blow, the burst
The bluster, the stream, the outward thrust
I sway, I lean, my anchor cursed
Longing to feel your winds dispersed
Across my sails in days of lore
When we explored seas uncharted before
With you I wanted nothing more
Now becalmed upon this wayward shore
Your breath filled my voyage with song
Coursing currents we sailed along
Days joyful, the nights not long
Now stillness silence the winds have gone
You are the world, the earth, the way
The road, the path, the night and day
I wander, I roam, I go astray
Searching for where your landscapes lay
The valleys, the hills, the meadows green
The mountains, the cliffs, the streams between
With you each scene was serene
Now lost, your realm remains unseen
By your movements I was stirred
My heart rapturous when with you blurred
Over the earth in flight of bird
Without you, stilled wings leave me interred
I keep reaching, longing, yearning
For you again brightly burning
For your tides again churning
For your summits my soul discerning
I sway and drift in absent flows
I climb cold crags where no wind blows
I wander lost down lonely roads
My spirit burdened and overloaded
For just one extra glimpse divine
Of your celestial rays to shine
And offer this frail soul of mine
A taste of your greatness so sublime
So I may know once more in full
The fervor of our paths that lull
In sacred heights no words can cull
Of oceans vast of stars that pull
And never shall I cease this quest
To find the way back to your rest
Through shadows dim and valleys blest
To rediscover what I love best
Although our journey had to part
Its treasures live on in my heart
No distance can make them depart
For your spirit shaped my inner art
So let me hear your sweet refrain
Across the darkness once again
And if only once more we can attain
The bond we shared that banished pain
Then I will cherish that transcendent song
And let it give my weary soul strength to carry on
Until I cross that final vale and river long
Back unto your radiance, where I know I belong
Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendour hung aloft in night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask of snow
Upon the mountains and the moors—
No, yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft swell and fall,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever—or else swoon to death.
How can my soul find rest, sweet wanderer of the skies,
While yearning for your tender gaze to meet mine eyes?
Each moment we're apart tormenting absence cries,
For only in your presence my spirit truly flies.
Come back to me, beloved, break this lonesome spell!
Let joyous reuniting our longing hearts compel,
That we may walk together where shady greenwoods dwell,
No earthly paradise with your absence can excel.
Soothe these nights of solitude with your tranquil light,
Lead me from this wilderness, be my hearts delight,
Guide me to those gentle shores long lost from my sight,
Where in mercies of your smile again my soul unite.
About this poem
The poem beautifully expresses the yearning for the presence of a beloved figure, often likened to various natural elements and phenomena. It conveys a deep sense of longing and a desire for the return of that presence, which brings light, warmth, and inspiration to the speaker's life. The poem touches on themes of love, connection, and the powerful impact of a significant person on one's existence. It concludes with a passionate plea for the return of the beloved, emphasizing the transformative effect their presence has on the speaker's life. more »
Written on April 06, 2022
Submitted by Mawphniang.Napoleon on November 04, 2023
- 4:30 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | aaaa bbbb cccc ddde fffx gxHh cccc iiii jjjj kxkk hhHh lllx mmmm nnnn oooo pppp eexx aaax qrrq ssss tttt uxuu lxll tctcxgdx dsxsvv wwww xxxx cccc |
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Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 4,573 |
Words | 895 |
Stanzas | 28 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 8, 6, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Eternal Longing: Ode to the Celestial Beloved" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/172544/eternal-longing:-ode-to-the-celestial-beloved>.
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