Oblivion

I would to-night that I might dimly fade
Into the silent air; become a mist
To dream upon the mountains; a faint breath
Of delicate perfume, or the gentle sigh
Of ripples lapping the dank water-weeds.
I would that I might melt into the night,
Into the liquid depths of that clear sky
Silvered by moonlight; quietly to drift
Aimless as summer clouds along the blue;
To lose all thought, all purpose and desire,
And move but as the stars of heaven move,
In silent rhythm, unresistingly.
Until at last the tides of infinite space
Rolled o'er me and transfused my very being
With the Eternal. Then perchance my soul,
Like a clear stream which freshens, ere engulfed,
The sad sea waves, would glow a moment's space;
Then vanish like a falling star, absorbed
In the pure radiance of Eternity.

—J.M.