 | The Poetical Works of Andrew Lang |  |
131
Villanelle
(To M. Joseph Boulmier, Author of
‘Les Villanelles’)
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
Hath the singer ceased to sing?
Hath the Master lost his lute?
Hath the singer ceased to sing?
Hath the Master lost his lute?
Many a pipe and scrannel flute
On the breeze their discords fling;
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
On the breeze their discords fling;
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
Sound of tumult and dispute,
Noise of war the echoes bring;
Hath the Master lost his lute?
Noise of war the echoes bring;
Hath the Master lost his lute?
Once he sang of bud and shoot
In the season of the spring;
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
In the season of the spring;
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
132
Fading leaf and falling fruit
Say, ‘The year is on the wing,
Hath the Master lost his lute?’
Say, ‘The year is on the wing,
Hath the Master lost his lute?’
Ere the axe lie at the root,
Ere the winter come as king,
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
Hath the Master lost his lute?
Ere the winter come as king,
Villanelle, why art thou mute?
Hath the Master lost his lute?
| The Poetical Works of Andrew Lang | |