 | Last poems including Afterglow and Beyond the sunset |  |
10
CRYING FOR THE MOON
“O why do you cry, little maid, little maid?
O why do you cry?” said he.
“I cry for the moon, the fair white moon
Far up in the sky,” said she.
O why do you cry?” said he.
“I cry for the moon, the fair white moon
Far up in the sky,” said she.
The wise man frowned; then the wise man smiled,
And a great round laugh laughed he.
“What folly to cry for the moon on high!
Come thou to the beach with me!”
And a great round laugh laughed he.
“What folly to cry for the moon on high!
Come thou to the beach with me!”
Then he caught her hand in an eager clasp
And down the far slope they flew
To the sands where the gleaming pebbles lay,
And the gray-green tangles grew.
And down the far slope they flew
To the sands where the gleaming pebbles lay,
And the gray-green tangles grew.
11
And there he builded a throne for her
Of the driftwood floating by,
With pearly pebbles and golden shells
In a shining heap close by.
Of the driftwood floating by,
With pearly pebbles and golden shells
In a shining heap close by.
But they slipped thro' her fingers, one by one;
A wan little smile smiled she.
“It is better to cry for the moon on high
Than to play with your pebbles,” sighed she.
A wan little smile smiled she.
“It is better to cry for the moon on high
Than to play with your pebbles,” sighed she.
April, 1912.
| Last poems including Afterglow and Beyond the sunset | |