The Project Gutenberg EBook of Poems, by Elinor Jenkins
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Poems
Author: Elinor Jenkins
Release Date: February 3, 2013 [EBook #41985]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POEMS ***
Produced by David E. Brown, Bryan Ness and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Poems by
Elinor Jenkins
POEMS
By ELINOR JENKINS
London: Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd.
3 Adam Street, Adelphi, W.C. 1915
_Copyright, 1915, by Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd._
_All rights reserved_
_DEDICATION_
To
H. S. T.
15·viii·15
_Fain had I given precious things and sweet,
But having neither frankincense nor gem,
Only sad flowers--last year's fading yield
Gathered about that bitter harvest field--
I made a sorry garland out of them,
And laid it where immortelles had been meet._
_Contents_
PAGE
H. S. T.--Requiescat 11
The Dead Comrade 12
The Choice 14
The House by the Highway 15
Night in the Suburbs, August, 1914 17
Autumn Wind 19
The Battle of the Rivers 20
A Legend of Ypres 21
Ecce Homo! 22
April Nights 23
Rupert Brooke. April, 1915 24
The Last Evening 25
The Letter 27
Frigga. (Up to date) 28
Farewells à la Mode 29
Sunset 30
Sursum Corda 31
Lying in State 32
Wind-pedlars 33
Dulce et Decorum? 35
Succory 36
Dreams Trespassing 37
"What shall be done with all these tears of ours?" 38
In Hereford Cathedral 39
Poppyfields 40
Artificial Light 43
Epitaph on a Child left Buried Abroad 46
Veronica 47
Moonlight 48
Waking 49
Feather Boats 50
The Lovers' Walk 52
Poems
_H. S. T._
_Requiescat_
We were bereft ere we were well aware
Of all our precious fears, and had instead
A hopeless safety, a secure despair.
We know that fate dealt kindly with our dead,
Tenderer to that fair face we held so dear
Than unto many another's best beloved.
Whate'er befall, we know him far removed
From all the weary labours of last year,
And even in paying this most bitter price
We know the cause worthy the sacrifice.
Now he is safe from any further ill,
Nor toils in peril while at ease we sit,
Yet bides our loss in thinking of him still,--
Of sombre eyes, by sudden laughter lit,
Darkened till all the eternal stars shall wane;
And lost the incommunicable lore
Of cunning fingers ne'er to limn again
And restless hands at rest for ever more.
_The Dead Comrade_
"Courage, invention, mirth we ill can spare
Lie lost with him, the greatest loss of all,
We grudge to well-won rest
His swiftness to devise and dare
That never failed the call."
Thus they all spoke together of the dead
Who was their comrade many a dark hour through,
As one whose work was ended quite,
But he that held him dearest said
Nothing, for well he knew
His friend forsook them not in dying.
--Often above the din he seemed to hear
His well known voice beloved,
Often in mud and darkness lying,
Felt he was working near,
By star-shell light oft with that commonplace
Familiar kindness knowing not surprise
Just as in other nights now lost,
Suddenly glimpsed his face,
Unchanged the same sleep-burdened eyes,
Whimsical brows and laughter-lifted lip;
And turned again to labours lighter grown,
Glad of that unforgetful soul's
Imperishable fellowship
That left him not to serve alone.
_The Choice_
Too well they saw the road where they must tread
Was shrouded in a misty winding sheet,
Among whose strangling coils their souls might meet
Death, and delaying not to go, they said
Farewell to hope, to dear tasks left undone,
To well-loved faces and to length of days.--
So came they to the parting of the ways,
A year agone, and saw no way but one.
Others, and they were many, watched them go
But turned not from the pleasant path of ease,
With hedges full of flowers, and fields of sheep.
Their hearts waxed gross, battening on braver woe
And their eyes heavy.--God, for such as these
No trump avails but Thine to break their sleep!
_The House by the Highway_
All night, from the quiet street
Comes the sound, without pause or break
Of the marching legions' feet
To listeners lying awake.
Their faces may none descry;
Night folds them close like a pall;
But the feet of them passing by
Tramp on the hearts of all.
What comforting makes them strong?
What trust and what fears have they
That march without music or song
To death at the end of the way?
What faith in our victory?
What hopes that beguile and bless?
What heaven-sent hilarity?
What mirth and what weariness?
What valour from vanished years
In the heart of youth confined?
What wellsprings of unshed tears
For the loves they leave behind?
No sleep, my soul to befriend;
No voice, neither answering light!
But darkness that knows no end
And feet going by in the night.
_Night in the Suburbs, August, 1914_
The misty night broods o'er this peopled place,
Chimneys and trees stand black against the sky,
One goes belated by with echoing pace
And careless whistle, shrilling loud and high.
And ere his steps into the stillness merge
Some labouring giant of our later day
Passes with hollow roar of distant surge
And clouds of steam as white as ocean spray.
In turn the lighted windows, twinkling fair,
Darken, till all these earthborn stars are down;
Stained dusky red by the great city's glare
The waning moon hangs low o'er London Town.
E'en now that moon in her own silver guise
Looks down on some stretched on a stricken plain,
Yet she shows red unto their blood-dimmed eyes
That never shall behold the sun again.
We, weary of the idle watch we keep,
Turn from the window to our sure repose
And pass into the pleasant realms of sleep,
Or snug and drowsy muse upon their woes.
And whether we that sleep or they that wake,--
We that have laboured light and slumber well
Or they that bled and battled for our sake--
Have the best portion scarce seems hard to tell.
Soon shall the sun behold them, where they lie,
Yet his fierce rays may never warm them more;
No further need have they to strive or cry,
They have found rest that laboured long and sore;
While we take up again in street and mart
The burden and the business of the day:
And which of these two is the better part
God only knows, whose face is turned away.
_Autumn Wind_
A month ago they marched to fight
Away 'twixt the woodland and the sown,
I walked that lonely road to-night
And yet I could not feel alone.
The voice of the wind called shrill and high
Like a bugle band of ghosts,
And the restless leaves that shuffled by
Seemed the tread of the phantom hosts.
Mayhap when the shadows gather round
And the low skies lower with rain,
The dead that rot upon outland ground
March down the road again.
_The Battle of the Rivers_
For fifteen hundred valiant men and tried,
These waters were as Lethe's, dark and deep
And bitter as the bitterest tears we weep;
Their high hearts rose above the swollen tide,
Fain of the foe upon the further side,
Though in death's draught their lips they needs must steep.
Since their own lives their valour might not keep,
Our tall young men drank of that cup and died.
Now are their faces hidden from the sky,
Under the trampled turf where last they trod;
Yet unforsaken sleeps that sad array;
The living hearts of all their mothers lie
Buried with them, and beat below the sod,
As their poor pulse could stir the senseless clay.
_A Legend of Ypres_
Before the throne the spirits of the slain
With a loud voice importunately cried,
"Oh, Lord of Hosts, whose name be glorified,
Scarce may the line one onslaught more sustain
Wanting our help. Let it not be in vain,
Not all in vain, Oh God, that we have died."
And smiling on them our good Lord replied,
"Begone then, foolish ones, and fight again."
Our eyes were holden, that we saw them not;
Disheartened foes beheld--our prisoners said--
Behind us massed, a mighty host indeed,
Where no host was. On comrades unforgot
We thought, and knew that all those valiant dead
Forwent their rest to save us at our need.
_Ecce Homo!_
He hung upon a wayside Calvary,
From whence no more the carven Christ looks down
With wide, blank eyes beneath the thorny crown,
On the devout and careless, passing by.
The Cross had shaken with his agony,
His blood had stained the dancing grasses brown,
But when we found him, though the weary frown,
That waited on death's long delayed mercy,
Still bent his brow, yet he was dead and cold,
With drooping head and patient eyes astare,
That would not shut. As we stood turned to ice
The sun remembered Golgotha of old,
And made a halo of his yellow hair
In mockery of that fruitless sacrifice.
_April Nights_
When the night watches slowly downwards creep,
And heavy darkness lays her leaden wings
On aged eyes that ache but cannot weep,
For burning time hath dried the water-springs--
Yearneth the watcher then with sleepless pain
For eager hearts that in the grave lie cold,
For all the toil and pride of years made vain,
And grieveth sore to be alive, and old.
Without, the lost wind desolately crying
Scatters poor spring's frail children rent and torn,
And when the moon looks, wearily a-dying,
A moment 'thwart her shroud, faint and forlorn,
Gleams ghostly through the trees her fickle light
On barren blossoms, strewn upon the night.
_Rupert Brooke. April, 1915_
Young and great hearted, went he forth to dare
Death on the field of honour; all he sought,
Was leave to lay life down a thing of naught
And spill its hopes and promise on the air.
Then lest vile foes should vaunt a spoil so rare
The sun that loved him gave a kiss death-fraught
Quenching the heaven-enkindled fire that wrought
Fair fancies, bodied forth in words more fair,
And lit the dreaming beauty of his face
With tender mirth and strength-begetting trust,--
Impotent strength, and mirth that might not save.
Therefore we mourn, counting each vanished grace.
Ne'er was so much, since dust returned to dust,
Cribbed in the compass of a narrow grave.
_The Last Evening_
Round a bright isle, set in a sea of gloom,
We sat together, dining,
And spoke and laughed even as in better times
Though each one knew no other might misdoubt
The doom that marched moment by moment nigher,
Whose couriers knocked on every heart like death,
And changed all things familiar to our sight
Into strange shapes and grieving ghosts that wept.
The crimson-shaded light
Shed in the garden roses of red fire
That burned and bloomed on the decorous limes.
The hungry night that lay in wait without
Made blind, blue eyes against the silver's shining
And waked the affrighted candles with its breath
Out of their steady sleep, while round the room
The shadows crouched and crept.
Among the legions of beleaguering fears,
Still we sat on and kept them still at bay,
A little while, a little longer yet,
And wooed the hurrying moments to forget
What we remembered well,
--Till the hour struck--then desperately we sought
And found no further respite--only tears
We would not shed, and words we might not say.
We needs must know that now the time was come
Yet still against the strangling foe we fought,
And some of us were brave and some
Borrowed a bubble courage nigh to breaking,
And he that went, perforce went speedily
And stayed not for leave-taking.
But even in going, as he would dispel
The bitterness of incomplete good-byes,
He paused within the circle of dim light,
And turned to us a face, lit seemingly
Less by the lamp than by his shining eyes.
So, in the radiance of his mastered fate,
A moment stood our soldier by the gate
And laughed his long farewell--
Then passed into the silence and the night.
_The Letter_
She read the words of him that was her own:
The dauntless brow that grief itself had steeled
Quickened with listening ever, not in vain
Amid brave stories of the stricken field,
For strange, sad echoes from a child's heart grown
Untimely old, that scarce will dance again
This side the grave, but nathless keeps a leaven
Of mirth most bitter sweet.
So changed her face, 'twixt pride and sorrowing,
As stirs and shadows sun-bleached wheat
With winds that walk the stair of heaven
And high clouds hovering.
_Frigga._ (_Up to date_)
For the last time I kissed
The lips of my dearest son,
For the last time looked in his face--
My brave, my beautiful one.
Reaching up to his breast,
But lately as low as my knee,
I felt with my hands in his heart
A shadow I might not see.
Scarce could I bid him farewell,
Scarce to bless him find breath,
For I felt the shape of the shade
And knew 'twas the shadow of death.
_Farewells à la Mode_
The limbs she bore and cherished tenderly,
And rocked against her heart, with loving fears,
Through helpless infancy that all endears,
Unto the verge of manhood's empery,
Were fostered for this cruel end, and she
Kneeling beside him, looks through blinding tears
Down the long vista of the lonely years,
Void of all light, drear as eternity.
But her young son, who knows not that he dies,
Gives good-night lightly, on the utmost brink,
And, anguish overmastered for her sake,
Says smiling with stiff lips and death-dimmed eyes,
"Why, Mother, if you kiss me so, I'll think
You'll not be here to-morrow, when I wake."
_Sunset_
Dear is young morning's tender-hued attire:
To us and ours, 'stead of that promise, came
A brief and burning sunset, blood and flame,
And, looking on the end of our desire,
Yet said we, "What if fealty to a name
Have built our hearts' beloved a funeral pyre?
Their death hath kindled a fair beacon fire
To lighten all this world of fear and shame,
And none shall quench it." As the words were said,
Darkened and failed the strange, unearthly light,
And faded all the surging sea of gold,
And nought was left of the fierce glories fled
But ashen skies slow deepening into night,
Lit by pale memory's stars that shake for cold.
_Sursum Corda_
Oh faint and feeble hearted, comfort ye!
Nor shame those dead whose death was great indeed,
Greater than life in death. It doth not need,
Since we seek strength where healing may not be,
Faith in fair fables of eternal rest,
Nor seer's eyes to look beyond the grave.
That they endured and dared for us shall save
Our souls alive:--they met, our tenderest,
Pain without plaint and death without dismay,
Bore and beheld sorrows unspeakable,
Yet shrank not from that double-edged distress,
But, eyes set steadfastly where ends the way,
They through all perils laughed and laboured well,
Nor ceased from mercy on the merciless.
_Lying in State_
If with his fathers he had fallen asleep,
Far different would have been this drear lyke-wake.
Lonely and lampless lies he, for whose sake
Many might well a night-long vigil keep,
And, though we have not time nor heart to weep,
Yet fain would we some slight observance make,
E'er sad to-morrow's earliest dawn shall break
When he must lie yet darker and more deep.
Therefore we've laid him 'neath a chestnut tree,
That bears a myriad candles all alight,
And faintly glimmering through the starry gloom--
No dimmer than a holy vault might be--
It sheds abroad upon the quiet night
A gentle radiance and a faint perfume.
_Wind-pedlars_
Purple and grey the vacant moor lies spread
And all the storms of heaven sweep and cry
Among the barrows of forgotten dead,
Who died as we shall die.
There dwelt of yore, upon such desert land,
Strange merchants of a stranger merchandise,
Who stole the Winds from out God's hollowed hand
And loosed them, at a price.
Thither mayhap the reiving marchman rode
And bought a gale to ruffle the red cock
That he would set upon his foe's abode,
And leave no standing stock.
And thither, with hearts tossing to and fro
On stormy seas, came foolish maids and fain,
And chaffered for a favouring wind to blow
Their lovers home again.
Oh were such mighty witches living still,
Those whistle tempests and light airs obeyed,
We have more need the wind should do our will
Than e'er had love-sick maid.
At body's peril and in soul's despite
We would give all we had of gold and gem
For a west wind, where our beloved fight,
To blow the reek from them.
But these wind-pedlars with their hard-earned fee
Mocked and forsaken of the fiend their sire
'Spite of all powers of spell and gramarye
Passed long ago in fire.
So to High God let humble prayers be said,
From bursting hearts that wait in vain, and He
In His good time, when all your dears are dead,
May stoop to answer ye.
_Dulce et Decorum?_
We buried of our dead the dearest one--
Said each to other, "Here then let him lie,
And they may find the place, when all is done,
From the old may tree standing guard near by."
Strong limbs whereon the wasted life blood dries,
And soft cheeks that a girl might wish her own,
A scholar's brow, o'ershadowing valiant eyes,
Henceforth shall pleasure charnel-worms alone.
For we, that loved him, covered up his face,
And laid him in the sodden earth away,
And left him lying in that lonely place
To rot and moulder with the mouldering clay.
The hawthorn that above his grave head grew
Like an old crone toward the raw earth bowed,
Wept softly over him, the whole night through,
And made him of her tears a glimmering shroud.
* * * * *
Oh Lord of Hosts, no hallowed prayer we bring,
Here for Thy grace is no importuning,
No room for those that will not strive nor cry
When loving kindness with our dead lies slain:
Give us our fathers' heathen hearts again,
Valour to dare, and fortitude to die.
_Succory_
In a strange burial ground
Searching strange graves above,
By a sure sign I found
Where lay my love.
Bluer than summer skies,
Than summer seas more blue,
Looked from the dust his eyes
Whose death I rue.
Sweet eyes of my sweet slain
Lost all these weary hours,
Lo, I beheld again
Turned into flowers.
_Dreams Trespassing_
Of all the spectres feared and then forgot
That haunt us sleeping, this is dreadfullest--
Still to seek help and find it not
Through those dim lands that sleep and know not rest;
Followed for ever by a formless fear
That drawing near and nearer hungrily
Lowers against our dearest dear,
And nought can shield them from that jeopardy;
To see the unknown horror rearing slow,
Hang high above them like a craning wave,
And in that endless moment know
Intolerable impotence to save.
Yet 'whelmed the dream-doom never one dear head,
Our own hearts woke us with their passionate beat:
Straightway we found all peril fled
And lay, awaiting dawn's deliverance sweet.
* * * * *
Now growing with the strengthening daylight strong
Doth that ill dream, the sleep-world's confines breaking,
Walk at our elbow all day long
To leave us only at a worse awaking.
_"What shall be done with all these tears of ours?"_
The poor proud mother in the sad old tale,
That wept her lovely children's loss in vain
Grew one with her own tears' most bitter rain;
The immortal Gods that spared not for her wail
Then made from out her grief's eternal flow
A never-failing fountain, at whose brink
Wayfaring men oft stooped them down to drink
And blessed those Gods, whose envy wrought her woe.
So may these bitter springs with years grow sweet,
And welling ever upward full and strong,
As when from many a broken heart they burst,
Stay not for frost nor fail for summer heat,
But make fair pools life's desert way along
Where unborn generations slake their thirst.
_In Hereford Cathedral_
While the noonday prayers were said,
For the warriors in our War,
And many bowed the head
With heavy hearts and sore,
Each with his voiceless dread,
Each with his hidden pain,
Each thinking on his own,
The living and the dead,--
Then on the pillared stone
Behind the altar, fell
A cross-shaped stain,
A shadow strong and dark
That all may mark,
And know it well,
That doth dear won salvation spell.
Awhile the sad sign stayed,
And the shadow-shape, concealed
In the hearts of them that prayed,
Stood for a space revealed.
_Poppyfields_
A wilderness were better than this place
Where foregone seasons set a gentle spell
Decking it with such fair and tender grace
An angel might be pleased here to dwell;
Now all its gay delights are dismal grown
In the full glory of the summer time,
As from the horror of some evil thing
Its every grace had flown,--
Laid under penance for an unknown crime
The garden close lies sick and sorrowing.
Pale in the sultry splendour of the day
Each shoot a finger, stiffened wearily,
The harsh-leaved rosemary stands stark and grey
Pointing at that which none may ever see,
And darker grows the pansy's brooding face
With dark foreboding; and the lily's cup
Turns loathsome, festering sourly in the sun;
In the cypress's embrace
The valiant scented bay is swallowed up.
The roses all have withered, one by one.
Beyond the close, smothering the wholesome corn,
A flight of scarlet locusts fallen to earth
Baleful, and blighting all that they adorn,
The burnished heralds of a bitterer dearth,
Coral and flame and blood among the gold,
Like Eastern armies gorgeously dight
And raised by gramarye from English sod
With banners brave unrolled
Each silken tent enclosing dusky night,
Drowsy dream-laden poppies beck and nod.
Brighter than stains of that imperial hue
Spilled from the vats of sea-enthronèd Tyre,
Their flaunting ranks grow dull and blow anew
From smouldering rubies to fierce coals of fire,
As through the thunder-burdened air of noon
The slow clouds slowly drift and pass
Casting soft shifting shadows on the field.
Alas, and all too soon
The wearied eye 'gins ache for shaded grass
Though the charmed sense would to the glamour yield.
Now that love's rose has crumbled into dust,
And nought is left but sharp envenomed thorns,
Burning remorse with many a cruel thrust,
Bitter regret that unavailing mourns,
Now thought is fear and memory is pain
And hope a sickly pulse that will not cease,
And fame a gaping grave whereby we weep,
Nowhere now doth remain
A place of refuge for us, or release,
Save in the shadowy wastes of idle sleep.
Therefore, scorn not these flowers of phantasy
That blow about the ivory gate of dreams,
For though they have not truth or constancy
Yet very fair their idle semblance seems.
Though short the blest relief they bring to woe,
And wakening the worm 'gins gnaw again,
Yet comely truth is grown a grim death's head.
Fly the unconquerable foe;
Go, in an empty dream lost joys regain
And down among the poppies meet your dead.
_Artificial Light_
Warm and golden and dear
In custom and kindness set,
We builded against our fear
A place wherein to forget
Darkness that rings us near.
Here our hearts we deceive
And will not understand.
Whether we laugh or grieve
We dwell in a lamp-lit land--
A land of make-believe
Not too high for our pride
Whereto we are ever bond
Nor for our souls too wide--
And all is night beyond
Where monstrous things abide.
Still without ceasing we
Watch on our stronghold keep,
Lest lamps burn flickeringly,
And, while we slumber and sleep,
Outcast eternity
Break in a moment through
Our soul-built barriers slight,
Look in on us with blue
Lustreless eyes, whose light
Life everlasting slew.
Heavy with endless days,
With endless wisdom sad,
Should those eyes behold our days
And our loves wherein we are glad,
We might not abide their gaze.
Our sorrows flee fast away
Like shadows before the morn,
In the light of eternal day
Pale all our joys forlorn,
Elf-gold that will not stay;
Find we, looking again,
For all our cherished treasures
And all our labours vain,
Weariness all our pleasures
And worthless all our pain.
Our vanities kissed and curled,
Ere the swift vision is gone,
Into the void are hurled;
But we ourselves live on,
Waifs in a blasted world,
Where light and laughter and love
Lie dead in the dark together
And we brood their dust above,
Knowing not surely whether
'Tis life at our hearts doth move.
Lost without remedy,
We sit under pitiless skies
Mourning the moment we
Looked with our finite eyes
Into Infinity!
_Epitaph_
_On a Child left Buried Abroad_
Father, forget not, now that we must go,
A little one in alien earth low laid;
Send some kind angel when thy trumpets blow
Lest he should wake alone, and be afraid.
_Veronica_
She lifted up her eyes and looked at me;--
Straightway, methought that I was gazing down
Through lacy lattices of meadow grass,
Into the face of that low, little flower,
That holds all fathomless eternity,
Inscrutable, immeasurable dusk's
Heart-breaking blue, and night's first timid star,
Prisoned and mirrored in a shallow cup,
So small a single dewdrop would o'erflow it,
So frail no vagrant bee could rest thereon.
But unaware of its own loveliness
This symbol of all mysteries sad and sweet
Fixes on heaven the wide unwinking stare
Of blind, bright eyes, coloured and glorified,
By light and hues, it apprehendeth not.--
Even so, lovely, senseless and aloof,
Round-eyed Veronica looked up at me.
_Moonlight_
Even as walk on middle earth
The shades of the unquiet dead
That loathe the graves allotted them from birth
And wander without end, uncomforted;
So the dead moon, poor restless rover
That died by fire, long, long ago,
Wanders forlorn the steeps of heaven over;
With death's despair and life's outwearied woe
She journeys, a reluctant lustre giving
To this world's throbbing life and strong,
And, being dead, envieth all things living,
And sheds a passing death her beams along.
To that weird corpse-light worse than dark,
All fair things for a little die;
The spell-bound earth lies, colourless and stark,
Beneath the wan ghost witch's jealous eye.
_Waking_
So fair a dream last night my heart had kissed,
I sought some token of it, but 'twould give
Nothing, save formless fancies fugitive,
That slipped from words' encirclement away--
As, when hell's shades 'gan quicken with the day,
His lost belovèd fled the lutanist.
_Feather Boats_
While the wind low o'er the green pool creeps
Spoiling with kisses the wood's mirrored beauty,
Kneel we close down by the margin preparing
To launch the frail craft on those perilous deeps.
Swift the wind takes them, we lean to see
Over the water gallantly faring
Forth our fantastical argosy.
Silver-white galleons beating to seaward,
Freighted with fancies lighter than foam,
Bound for far havens and tall towns enchanted--
Stir, sleepy breezes, and bring them safe home.
Cabot sailing for ever and ever
To the unknown where the wild ducks nest;
Morgan mooring to rape the treasure
Hid in a lily's unsullied breast;
Nearer, in shore among lowering leaf-bergs
Franklin, crushed on his fatal quest.
So I behold in your eyes re-awaken
Brave sad tales that the sea wind sings,
Tales of old mariners, daring hid dangers,
Ghosts of forgotten adventurings.
Heart of my heart, in your manhood's hereafter,
When you've grown taller, and harder to please,
Will you turn sometimes your wandering wishes
Back to the hours when with eyes full of laughter
You watched where the day-dreaming willow trees
Dipped their long fingers to catch at the fishes,
Mock sails flying on mimic seas?
_The Lovers' Walk_
Two lovers walked in a green garden way
'Neath towering poplar pillars all arow;
The still June midnight close about them lay:
They whispered soft and low.
Though they could feel no wind, they heard it creep
High in the poplars, whispering secret schemes;
The tall trees stood as sentinels asleep,
And listening through their dreams.
The full moon's white fire lamp hung round and fair
Above the highest poplar's shivering crest,
The lazy fountain's waters stirred the air
And softly sank to rest.
Unseen the honeysuckle trailed that fills
The dim air with its heavy sweet perfume,
But the wan fire-eyed wraiths of daffodils
Stared spectral through the gloom.
They felt no footsteps fall beside their own,
But long their like had loved the garden well;
And never two may walk this walk alone:
Their presence wakes a spell.
When here live lovers loiter to and fro
With tender words and lips of kisses fain,
Then those dead men that walked here long ago
Meet their lost loves again.
The grey dew keeps no traces of their feet,
Their speech is lighter than the bat's shrill cry,
They hover where of yore they used to meet
Like shadows passing by.
Though many wander where the moonlight lies
Yet are they lonely as in life they were,
For each ghost looks into his own love's eyes
And sees no other there.
And when the living lips their farewells frame
And the live feet turn to the garden door,
The shades depart in darkness as they came
And are not any more.
Did those two guess who loved that night in June
That others trod the grass as well as they,
And won from them a passing moment's boon
To love as in life's day?
Or did they think in that still haunted place,
As those poor phantoms were they soon must be
And pluck at other unknown lovers' grace
The joys that once were free?
Perchance their glad hearts thrust such thoughts away;
Of that night's tryst no more than this they own:
That they two, in a grassy garden way
Once walked an hour alone.
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
WM. BRENDON AND SON, LTD.,
PLYMOUTH.
_Sidgwick & Jackson's List of Poetry_
_Rupert Brooke_
POEMS (originally issued in 1911). _Eighth Impression._ 2s. 6d. net.
1914 AND OTHER POEMS. With Portrait. _Ninth Impression._ 2s. 6d. net.
_John Drinkwater_
SWORDS AND PLOUGHSHARES. 2s. 6d. net.
_Gerald Gould_
POEMS. _Second Impression._ 1s. 6d. net.
MY LADY'S BOOK. 2s. 6d. net.
_Laurence Housman_
SELECTED POEMS. 3s. 6d. net.
_Rose Macaulay_
THE TWO BLIND COUNTRIES. 2s. 6d. net.
_John Masefield_
THE EVERLASTING MERCY. _Sixteenth Impression._ 3s. 6d. net.
Also in leather, 5s. net and 6s. net.
THE WIDOW IN THE BYE STREET. _Fifth Impression._ 3s. 6d. net.
_R. C. Phillimore_
POEMS (With an Introduction by John Masefield). 2s. 6d. net.
_Max Plowman_
FIRST POEMS. 2s. 6d. net.
_Katharine Tynan_
INNOCENCIES. 3s. 6d. net.
NEW POEMS. _Second Impression._ 3s. 6d. net.
IRISH POEMS. 3s. 6d. net.
FLOWER OF YOUTH: Poems in War-Time. 3s. 6d. net.
* * * * *
POEMS OF TO-DAY. An Anthology. _Second Impression._ 2s. net.
Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd., 3 Adam Street, Adelphi, W.C.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Poems, by Elinor Jenkins
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POEMS ***
***** This file should be named 41985-8.txt or 41985-8.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/9/8/41985/
Produced by David E. Brown, Bryan Ness and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809
North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email
contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the
Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
