Life and Phantasy by William Allingham: With frontispiece by Sir John E. Millais: A design by Arthur H. Hughes and a song for voice and piano forte |
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 | Life and Phantasy |  |
Tea came. He hurried into ceaseless talk;
Glanced at the ways of many foreign towns;
Knew all those men whose names are on the lip,
And set their worths punctiliously; brought back
Our careless years; paid Annie compliments;
Admired the pattern of the fragrant cups;
Lauded the cream,—our dairy's, was it not?
A country life was pleasant, certainly,
If one could be content to settle down;
And yet the city had advantages.
He trusted, shortly, under his own roof,
To practise hospitality in turn.
But first to catch the roof, eh? Ha, ha, ha!
That was a business topic to discuss
With his old friend—
Glanced at the ways of many foreign towns;
Knew all those men whose names are on the lip,
And set their worths punctiliously; brought back
Our careless years; paid Annie compliments;
Admired the pattern of the fragrant cups;
Lauded the cream,—our dairy's, was it not?
A country life was pleasant, certainly,
If one could be content to settle down;
And yet the city had advantages.
He trusted, shortly, under his own roof,
To practise hospitality in turn.
But first to catch the roof, eh? Ha, ha, ha!
That was a business topic to discuss
With his old friend—
For me, I sometimes long'd
To hide my face and groan; yet look'd at him;
Opposing pain to grief, presence to thought.
To hide my face and groan; yet look'd at him;
Opposing pain to grief, presence to thought.
| Life and Phantasy | |