Preludes 1921-1922 by John Drinkwater
page 39 of 50 (78%)
page 39 of 50 (78%)
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And Martin Dane home from his hunting came,
And heard, and saw them lying side by side, And wondered how could folly pay so much For so unsound and gossipy an end, Gave his instructions for a decent grave, And found a tap-room topic to his mind. ..... That night the promise of the dawn was full, And on the broken mill a clear moon shone, Silvering all the ways the lovers knew. And by the wreck a shadowy figure watched, Half Lake, and half that old Helvellyn lover, And on the night a whispered cadence fell-- Again in the world, a story has been made, These looked upon beauty unafraid, O these were lovely, these were the great ones, they dared, And denied not, but upon love's bidding fared. Pity them not; they would scorn that as your hate, They knew the voices, they knew the hours that mate With hours beyond all judgment of mankind, These were the proud adventurers of the mind. Kindled for ever because of them shall be A wiser freedom. The long lanes of the sea, The golden acres of Sussex shall holy keep Their names, their love, their ending. Let them sleep. |
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