 | The poems of Madison Cawein |  |
III
They meet again under the greenwood tree. He speaks:
Here at last! And do you know
That again you 've kept me waiting?
Wondering, anticipating
That your “yes” meant “no.”
That again you 've kept me waiting?
Wondering, anticipating
That your “yes” meant “no.”
Now you 're here we'll have our day. ...
Let us take this daisied hollow,
And beneath these beeches follow
This wild strip of way
Let us take this daisied hollow,
And beneath these beeches follow
This wild strip of way
To the stream; wherein are seen
Stealing gar and darting minnow;
Over which snake-feeders winnow
Wings of black and green.
Stealing gar and darting minnow;
Over which snake-feeders winnow
Wings of black and green.
32
Like a cactus flames the sun;
And the mighty weaver, Even,
Tenuous colored, there in heaven,
His rich weft 's begun. ...
And the mighty weaver, Even,
Tenuous colored, there in heaven,
His rich weft 's begun. ...
How I love you! from the time—
You remember, do you not?—
When, within your orchard-plot,
I was reading rhyme,
You remember, do you not?—
When, within your orchard-plot,
I was reading rhyme,
As I told you. And 't was thus:—
“By the blue Trinacrian sea,
Far in pastoral Sicily
With Theocritus”—
“By the blue Trinacrian sea,
Far in pastoral Sicily
With Theocritus”—
That I answered you who asked.
But the curious part was this:—
That the whole thing was amiss;
That the Greek but masked
But the curious part was this:—
That the whole thing was amiss;
That the Greek but masked
Tales of old Boccaccio:
Tall Decameronian maids
Strolled for me among the glades,
Smiling, sweet and slow.
Tall Decameronian maids
Strolled for me among the glades,
Smiling, sweet and slow.
And when you approached,—my book
Dropped in wonder,—seemingly
To myself I said, “'Tis she!”
And arose to look
Dropped in wonder,—seemingly
33
And arose to look
In Lauretta's eyes and—true!
Found them yours.—You shook your head,
Laughing at me, as you said,
“Did I frighten you?”
Found them yours.—You shook your head,
Laughing at me, as you said,
“Did I frighten you?”
You had come for cherries; these
Coatless then I climbed for while
You still questioned with a smile,
And still tried to tease.
Coatless then I climbed for while
You still questioned with a smile,
And still tried to tease.
Ah, love, just two years have gone
Since then. ... I remember, you
Wore a dress of billowy blue
Muslin.—Was it “lawn”?—
Since then. ... I remember, you
Wore a dress of billowy blue
Muslin.—Was it “lawn”?—
And your apron still I see—
All its whiteness cherry-stained—
Which you held; wherein I rained
Ripeness from the tree.
All its whiteness cherry-stained—
Which you held; wherein I rained
Ripeness from the tree.
And I asked you—for, you know,
To my eyes your serious eyes
Said such deep philosophies—
If you 'd read Rousseau.
To my eyes your serious eyes
Said such deep philosophies—
If you 'd read Rousseau.
34
You remember how a chance,
Somewhat like to mine, one June
Happened him at castle Toune,
Over there in France?
Somewhat like to mine, one June
Happened him at castle Toune,
Over there in France?
And a cherry dropping fair
On your cheek, I, envying it,
Cried—remembering Rousseau's wit—
“Would my lips were there!” ...
On your cheek, I, envying it,
Cried—remembering Rousseau's wit—
“Would my lips were there!” ...
Here we are at last. We'll row
Down the stream.—The west has narrowed
To one streak of rose, deep-arrowed.—
There 's our skiff below.
Down the stream.—The west has narrowed
To one streak of rose, deep-arrowed.—
There 's our skiff below.
| The poems of Madison Cawein | |