midnight
Alma , I am thine . '' With swimming eyes the old man kneeled ; and round him grouped king , sage , gray hairs , and youth . There , as they kneeled , and as the old man blessed them , the setting sun burst forth from mists , gilded the island round about , shed rays upon their heads , and went down in a glory -- all the East radiant with red burnings , like an altar-fire . Babbalanja Relates To Them A Vision Leaving Babbalanja in the old man 's bower , deep in meditation ; thoughtfully we strolled along the beach , inspiring the musky , midnight air ; the tropical stars glistening in heaven , like drops of dew among violets . The waves were phosphorescent , and laved the beach with a fire that cooled it . Returning , we espied Babbalanja advancing in his snow-white mantle . The fiery tide was ebbing ; and in the soft , moist sand , at every step , he left a lustrous foot-print .