 | A Flight of Fancies |  |
31
LISTEN!
Before we arrive at the wood near the stream,
With a wickerwork basket to fill,
For Grannie, because she is kept in the house
By her legs, which are terribly ill,
I want you to promise me neither to kick
The enchantingly beautiful face
Of a hyacinth angel, nor roughly to tread
With the soles of your shoes on the arm of a fern
Or the wood-sorrel's exquisite head.
With a wickerwork basket to fill,
For Grannie, because she is kept in the house
By her legs, which are terribly ill,
I want you to promise me neither to kick
The enchantingly beautiful face
Of a hyacinth angel, nor roughly to tread
With the soles of your shoes on the arm of a fern
Or the wood-sorrel's exquisite head.
Be certain that hyacinths never were made
To be carelessly murdered, my Dear,
By greedy consumers of loveliness lent
To remind us that Wisdom is near.
If all of us tenderly think of the hours
When the Saviour stands deep in a wood
And nods to the smile of the primroses there,
We never shall willingly bruise or destroy
What can lessen the load of His care.
To be carelessly murdered, my Dear,
By greedy consumers of loveliness lent
To remind us that Wisdom is near.
If all of us tenderly think of the hours
When the Saviour stands deep in a wood
And nods to the smile of the primroses there,
We never shall willingly bruise or destroy
What can lessen the load of His care.
| A Flight of Fancies | |