THE UNATTAINED
Reading edition
A gem apart In the unreached heart Of a shy and secret place; Swift-winged in flight As a meteor’s light In the far-off field of space. More sweet and clear To the spirit’s ear Than a wave-song on the beach; Like the baffling blue Of a mountain view, Or a dream just out of reach. Like light withdrawn By a rain-swept dawn, When the clouds are wild and gray; Like a wind that blows Through the orchard close Ever and ever away.
William Hamilton Hayne.