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 | The poems of Madison Cawein |  |
99
BENEATH THE BEECHES
I
I long, oh, long to lie'Neath beechen branches, twisted,
Green 'twixt the summer sky;
The woodland shadows nigh
Like dryads sunbeam-wristed:
The livelong day to dream
Beside a wildwood stream.
II
I long, oh, long to hearThe claustral forest breathing,
Sound soothing to the ear;
To see the wild-vine near
Its scarlet blooms unsheathing:
The livelong day to cross
Slow o'er the nut-strewn moss.
100
III
I long, oh, long to seeThe nesting red-bird singing
Glad on the wood-rose tree:
To watch the breezy bee,
Half in the wildflower, swinging:
God's livelong day to pass
Deep in cool forest grass.
IV
Oh, soul, so builded inWith mart and booth and steeple,
Brick alley-ways of sin,
What hope for you to win
Ways free of pelf and people!
Ways of the leaf and root
And soft Mygdonian flute!
| The poems of Madison Cawein | |