New Zealand Verse/Sunset in the Tropics
LIII.
Sunset in the Tropics.
How grandly—when throughout the silent day, Some ample Day, serene, divine, Beneath the glowing Line Our helpless ship had hung as in a trance In light-blue glassiness of calm that lay A wide expanse Encircled by soft depths of ether clear, Whose melting azure seemed to swim Surcharged and saturate with balmiest brilliancy— How grandly solemn was the Day’s decline! Down as if wholly dropped from out the sky The fallen Sun’s great disc would lolling lie Upon the narrowed Ocean’s very rim, Awfully near! A hush of expectation almost grim Wrapt all the pure, blank, empty hemisphere; While straight across the gleaming crimson floor, From the unmoving Ship’s black burnished side, There ran a golden pathway right into the core Of all that throbbing splendour violet-dyed; Whither it seemed an easy task to follow The liquid ripples tremblingly o’erflowing Into the intense and blinding hollow Of palpitating purple, showing The way as through an open doorInto some world of burning bliss, undreamt of heretofore. Whose heart would not have swelled, the while Deep adoration and delight came o’er him At that stupendous mystery, close before him! Not less, but more stupendous that he knew Perchance, whate’er the subtle surface-play Of Science had to teach of level ray Reflected or refracted; and could say, Nay, almost count the millions to a mile, How far away That pure quintessence of dark fire, deep-lying In fathomless Flame-Oceans round him flying, His inconceivable circumference withdrew: Knew all about the fringe of flames that frisk In ruddy dance about his moon-masked face, Set on like petals round a sunflower’s disc— Each glorious petal shooting into space Ten times as far as Earth’s vast globe is thick: Ay! or could prate about full many a world Worn out, and crushed to cinders, flying fleet, Or in cold black rotundity complete, Into his burning bosom headlong hurled, Just by collision to strike out fresh heat, And feed with flame, renew and trim, And keep for aye from falling dim That monstrous and immeasurable wick— Say rather—everlastingly keep bright That awful, mystic, God-created Light!