Round about the hallowed fruit-tree curled :

Sing away, sing aloud evermore in the wind, without stop,

Lest his scaled eyelid drop,

For he is older than the world.

If he waken, we waken,
Rapidly levelling eager eyes.
If he sleep, we sleep,

Dropping the eyelid over the eyes.
If the golden apple be taken,
The world will be overwise.
Five links, a golden chain, are we,
Hesper, the dragon, and sisters three,
Bound about the golden tree.

III.

Father Hesper, Father Hesper, watch, watch, night and day,

Lest the old wound of the world be healed,

The glory unsealed,

The golden apple stolen away,

And the ancient secret revealed.

Look from west to east along:

Father, old Himala weakens, Caucasus is bold and strong.

Wandering waters unto wandering waters call;
Let them clash together, foam and fall.

Out of watchings, out of wiles,

Comes the bliss of secret smiles.
All things are not told to all.

Half-round the mantling night is drawn,
Purple-fringèd with even and dawn.

Hesper hateth Phosphor, evening hateth morn.

IV.

Every flower and every fruit the redolent breath Of this warm sea-wind ripeneth,

Arching the billow in his sleep;
But the land-wind wandereth,
Broken by the highland-steep,
Two streams upon the violet deep:
For the western sun and the western star,
And the low west-wind, breathing afar,
The end of day and beginning of night,
Make the apple holy and bright;

Holy and bright, round and full, bright and blest,
Mellowed in a land of rest;

Watch it warily day and night;
All good things are in the west.
Till midnoon the cool east light

Is shut out by the round of the tall hill-brow;
But when the full-faced sunset yellowly
Stays on the flowering arch of the bough,
The luscious fruitage clustereth mellowly,
Golden-kernelled, golden-cored,
Sunset-ripened above on the tree.

The world is wasted with fire and sword,
But the apple of gold hangs over the sea.
Five links, a golden chain, are we,
Hesper, the dragon, and sisters three,
Daughters three,

Bound about

All round about

The gnarled bole of the charmèd tree.

The golden apple, the golden apple, the hallowed

fruit,

Guard it well, guard it warily,

Watch it warily,

Singing airily,

Standing about the charmèd root.