Nike
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|
WHAT
do men give thanks for?
I give thanks for one,
Lovelier than morning,
Dearer than the sun.
Such a head the victors
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5 |
Must
have praised and known,
With that breast and bearing,
Nike’s very own—
As superb, untrammeled,
Rhythmed and poised and free
|
10 |
As the
strong pure sea-wind
Walking on the sea;
Such a hand as Beauty
Uses with full heart,
Seeking for her freedom
|
15 |
| In new
shapes of art;
Soft as rain in April,
Quiet as the days
Of the purple asters
And the autumn haze;
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20 |
With a soul more subtle
Than the light of stars,
Frailer than a moth’s wing
To the touch that mars;
Wise with all the silence
|
25 |
Of the
waiting hills,
When the gracious twilight
Wakes in them and thrills;
With a voice more tender
Than the early moon
|
30 |
Hears
among the thrushes
In the woods of June;
Delicate as grasses
When they lift and stir—
One sweet lyric woman—
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35 |
| I give
thanks for her. |
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