 | The violet crown by Sir Rennell Rodd |  |
3
THE KEYNOTE
A cypress dark against the blue,
That deepens up to such a hue
As never painter dared and drew;
That deepens up to such a hue
As never painter dared and drew;
A marble shaft that stands alone
Above a wreck of sculptured stone
With grey-green aloes overgrown;
Above a wreck of sculptured stone
With grey-green aloes overgrown;
A hillside scored with hollow veins
Through age-long wash of autumn rains,
As purple as with vintage stains;
Through age-long wash of autumn rains,
As purple as with vintage stains;
And rocks that while the hours run
Show all the jewels, one by one,
For pastime of the summer sun;
Show all the jewels, one by one,
For pastime of the summer sun;
A crescent sail upon the sea,
So calm and fair and ripple-free,
You wonder storms can ever be;
So calm and fair and ripple-free,
You wonder storms can ever be;
4
A shore with deep indented bays,
And o'er the gleaming waterways
A glimpse of islands in the haze;
And o'er the gleaming waterways
A glimpse of islands in the haze;
A face bronzed dark to red and gold,
With mountain eyes that seem to hold
The freshness of the world of old;
With mountain eyes that seem to hold
The freshness of the world of old;
A shepherd's crook, a coat of fleece,
A grazing flock;—the sense of peace,
The long sweet silence,—this is Greece!
A grazing flock;—the sense of peace,
The long sweet silence,—this is Greece!
| The violet crown by Sir Rennell Rodd | |