Poem by Mathilde Blind

Time's Shadow

Thy life, O Man, in this brief moment lies:
   Time's narrow bridge whereon we darkling stand,
   With an infinitude on either hand
Receding luminously from our eyes.
Lo, there thy Past's forsaken Paradise
   Subsideth like some visionary strand,
   While glimmering faint, the Future's promised land,
Illusive from the abyss, seems fain to rise.

This hour alone Hope's broken pledges mar,
   And joy now gleams before, now in our rear,
Like mirage mocking in some waste afar,
   Dissolving into air as we draw near.
   Beyond our steps the path is sunny-clear,
The shadow lying only where we are.

1. The Red Sunsets, 1883 (The twilight heavens are flushed with gathering light)
2. The Music-Lesson
3. Manchester by Night
4. The Passing Year
5. Song (Thou walkest with me as the spirit-light)

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