The Downing legends : Stories in Rhyme The witch of Shiloh, the last of the Wampanoags, the gentle earl, the enchanted voyage |
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The Downing legends : Stories in Rhyme | ||
XV
He watched; she came; he saw her glimmer
Athwart the mellow dusk of night.
He saw her birchen paddle shimmer,
And dash the foam to left and right.
Through veiling leaves he knew the splendor
That brimmed her eyes and flushed her face,
The rounded figure, tall and slender,
The sway and gest of savage grace.
Athwart the mellow dusk of night.
He saw her birchen paddle shimmer,
And dash the foam to left and right.
Through veiling leaves he knew the splendor
That brimmed her eyes and flushed her face,
The rounded figure, tall and slender,
The sway and gest of savage grace.
He launched his float; he never waited
To let her pass and choose her way;
He felt that every breath was fated,
And he must leap to win his prey.
He gained the middle stream before her,
And paused above the waterfall;
Then drew his pistol, aimed it o'er her,
And bade her halt or meet his ball.
And yet he purposed nothing evil,
His heart was kinder than his guise;
He only meant to cheat the devil,
He only meant to civilize.
To let her pass and choose her way;
He felt that every breath was fated,
And he must leap to win his prey.
He gained the middle stream before her,
And paused above the waterfall;
Then drew his pistol, aimed it o'er her,
And bade her halt or meet his ball.
And yet he purposed nothing evil,
His heart was kinder than his guise;
He only meant to cheat the devil,
He only meant to civilize.
The Downing legends : Stories in Rhyme | ||