146. THE FOLLY OF BEING COMFORTED
Reading edition
One that is ever kind said yesterday: "Your well-beloved's hair has threads of grey, And little shadows come about her eyes; Time can but make it easier to be wise, Though now it's hard, till trouble is at an end; And so be patient, be wise and patient, friend." But, heart, there is no comfort, not a grain; Time can but make her beauty over again, Because of that great nobleness of hers; The fire that stirs about her, when she stirs Burns but more clearly. O she had not these ways, When all the wild summer was in her gaze. O heart! O heart! if she'd but turn her head, You'd know the folly of being comforted.
W. B. Yeats.
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147. AT NIGHT
To W. M.
Home, home from the horizon far and clear, Hither the soft wings sweep; Flocks of the memories of the day draw near The dovecote doors of sleep.
Oh, which are they that come through sweetest light Of all these homing birds? Which with the straightest and the swiftest flight? Your words to me, your words!
Alice Meynell
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INDEX OF FIRST LINES
PAGE
A kiss, a word of thanks, away (H. C. Beeching). . . . . . . 142 A naked house, a naked moor (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . 65 A ship, an isle, a sickle moon (J. E. Flecker) . . . . . . . 76 All that he came to give (L. Johnson) . . . . . . . . . . . 136 All the heavy days are over (W. B. Yeats) . . . . . . . . . 167 All winter through I bow my head (W. de la Mare) . . . . . . 82 Along the graceless grass of town (A. Meynell) . . . . . . . 90 As I went down to Dymchurch wall (J. Davidson) . . . . . . . 45 Assemble, all ye maidens, at the door (B. Bridges) . . . . . 164 Athwart the sky a lowly sigh (J. Davidson) . . . . . . . . . 96 Awake, my heart, to be loved, awake, awake! (B. Bridges) . . 155
Below the down the stranded town (J. Davidson) . . . . . . . 47 Between two russet tufts of summer grass (E. Gosse) . . . . 102 Beyond my window in the night (J. Drinkwater) . . . . . . . 49 Blows the wind to-day, and the sun and the rain are flying (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Brief, on a flying night (A. Meynell) . . . . . . . . . . . 78 But to have lain upon the grass (A. Symons) . . . . . . . . 101 Buy my English posies! (R. Kipling) . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cambridge town is a beleaguered city (R. Macaulay) . . . . . 54 Can I forget the sweet days that have been (W. H. Davies) . 60 Come, no more of grief and dying! (M. L. Woods) . . . . . . 108 Country roads are yellow and brown (M. E. Coleridge) . . . . 95 Daylight was down, and up the cool (L. Housman) . . . . . . 99 Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet (W. B. Yeats) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand mile away (H. Newbolt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Farewell to one now silenced quite (A. Meynell) . . . . . . 163 Fear? Yes . . . I heard you saying (H. Trench) . . . . . . 16
Give to me the life I love (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . 83 God gave all men all earth to love (R. Kipling) . . . . . . 39 God, if this were enough (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . . 114 God who created me (H. C. Beeching) . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Good-bye; no tears nor cries (J. W. Mackail) . . . . . . . . 139 Grow old and die, rich Day (A. S. Cripps) . . . . . . . . . 32
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Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths (W. B. Yeats) . . . . 156 He leapt to arms unbidden (H. Newbolt) . . . . . . . . . . . 22 He rises and begins to round (G. Meredith) . . . . . . . . . 119 He walked in glory on the hills (W. Canton) . . . . . . . . 34 Here lies a most beautiful lady (W. de la Mare) . . . . . . 167 His wage of rest at nightfall still (J. Drinkwater) . . . . 24 Home, home from the horizon far and clear (A. Meynell) . . . 170 How solitary gleams the lamplit street (L. Binyon) . . . . . 93
I came to Oxford in the light (G. Gould) . . . . . . . . . . 51 I do not need the skies (F. Thompson) . . . . . . . . . . . 125 I dreamed that one had died in a strange place (W. B. Yeats) 167 I gathered with a careless hand (G. Gould) . . . . . . . . . 6 I go through the fields of blue water (A. S. Cripps) . . . . 48 I have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills (J. Masefield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
I know you; solitary griefs (L. Johnson) . . . . . . . . . . 113 I laid me down upon the shore (F. Cornford) . . . . . . . . 2 I love all beauteous things (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . . . . 125 I never see the newsboys run (S. Leslie) . . . . . . . . . . 100 I never shall love the snow again (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . 148 I never went to Mamble (J. Drinkwater) . . . . . . . . . . . 49 I will arise and go now, and go to Inisfree (W. B. Yeats) . 61 I will make you brooches and toys for your delight (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 I will not let thee go (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 I will not try the reach again (H. Belloc) . . . . . . . . . 54 If I have faltered more or less (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . 129 If I should die, think only this of me (R. Brooke) . . . . . 25 In misty blue the lark is heard (L. Binyon) . . . . . . . . 152 In the highlands, in the country places (R. L. Stevenson) . 34 In the time of wild roses (L. Binyon) . . . . . . . . . . . 73 It is good to be out on the road, and going one knows not where (J. Masefield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 It was early last September, nigh to Framlin'am-on-Sea (P. R. Chalmers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Just now the lilac is in bloom (R. Brooke) . . . . . . . . . 55
Know you her secret none can utter? (A. Quiller-Couch) . . 52
Laugh and be merry: remember, better the world with a song (J. Masefield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Let me go forth and share (W. Watson) . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Lonely, save for a few faint stars, the sky (L. Binyon) . . 91
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Many a flower have I seen blossom (M. S. Coleridge) . . . . 135
Not soon shall I forget—a sheet (K. Tynan) . . . . . . . . 75 Not within a granite pass (E. Gosse) . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
O, a gallant set were they (M. E. Coleridge) . . . . . . . . 8 O dreamy, gloomy, friendly Trees (H. Trench) . . . . . . . . 111 O happy soul, forget thy self (T. Sturge Moore) . . . . . . 106 O heavenly colour, London town (A. Meynell) . . . . . . . . 97 O Idleness, too fond of me (T. Sturge Moore) . . . . . . . . 111 O, men from the fields! (P. Colum) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Oh, not more subtly silence strays (A. Meynell) . . . . . . 160 O pastoral heart of England! like a psalm (A. Quiller-Couch) 9 Oh shall I never never be home again! (J. E. Flecker) . . . 30 O summer sun, O moving trees! (L. Binyon) . . . . . . . . . 96 O why do you walk through tha fields in gloves (F. Cornford) 85 O what know they of harbours (E. Radford) . . . . . . . . . 50 O world invisible, we view thee (F. Thompson,) . . . . . . . 130 Of Courtesy it is much less (H. Belloc) . . . . . . . . . . 131 On alien ground, breathing an alien air (M. E. Coleridge) . 33 On a starred night Prince Lucifer uprose (G. Meredith) . . . 128 Once . . . once upon a time (W. de la Mare) . . . . . . . . 135 One that is ever kind said yesterday (W. B. Yeats) . . . . . 169 Out of my door I step into (K. Tynan) . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Out-worn heart, in a time out-worn (W. B. Yeats) . . . . . . 123
Peace waits among the hills (A. Symons) . . . . . . . . . . 132 Perfect little body, without fault or stain on thee (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Pitch here the tent, while the old horse grazes (G. Meredith) 86
Row till the land dip 'neath (T. Sturge Moore) . . . . . . . 75
Say what you will, there is not in the world (W. Blunt) . . 45 Shall we but turn from braggart pride (L. Binyon) . . . . . 20 She walks—the lady of my delight (A. Meynell) . . . . . . . 134 Shy as the squirrel and wayward as the swallow (G. Meredith) 158 Sitting at times over a hearth that burns (H. Newbolt) . . . 15 Slight as thou art, thou art enough to hide (A. Meynell) . . 128 So, without overt breach, we fall apart (W. Watson) . . . . 142 Softly along the road of evening (W. de la Mare) . . . . . . 77 Sombre and rich the skies (L. Johnson) . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Spring goeth all in white (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Tell the tune his feet beat (A. S. Cripps) . . . . . . . . . 32 The dove did lend me wings. I fled away (W. Blunt) . . . . 79 The fountain murmuring of sleep (A. Symons) . . . . . . . . 154 The hill pines were sighing (R. Bridges) . . . . . . . . . . 68
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The Lady Poverty was fair (A. Meynell) . . . . . . . . . . . 131 The moon is up: the stars are bright (A. Noyes) . . . . . . 14 There is a hill beside the silver Thames (R. Bridges) . . . 70 There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night (H. Newbolt) 115 These hearts were woven of human joys and cares (R. Brooke) 24 This is a sacred city built of marvellous earth (J. Masefield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 This labouring, vast, Tellurian galleon (F. Thompson) . . . 149 This was her table, these her trim outspread (J. B. B. Nichols) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Through the sunny garden (M. E. Coleridge) . . . . . . . . . 37 Time, you old gipsy man (R. Hodgson) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 'Tis but a week since down the glen (G. Gould) . . . . . . . 124 To-day, all day, I rode upon the down (W. Blunt) . . . . . . 79 To the forgotten dead (M. L. Woods) . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 To the heart of youth the world is a highwayside (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Too soothe and mild your lowland airs (L. Abercrombie) . . . 36 Troy Town is covered up with weeds (J. Masefield) . . . . . 3 Trusty, dusky, vivid, true (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . . . 157 Twilight it is, and the far woods are dim, and the rooks cry and call (J. Masefield) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Under the wide and starry sky (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . . . 90
Very old are the woods (W. de la Mare) . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What gods have met in battle to arouse (A. E.) . . . . . . . 27 What heart could have thought you? (F. Thompson) . . . . . . 127 What is this life, if, full of care (W. B. Davies) . . . . . 101 What of vile dust? the preacher said (G. K. Chesterton) . . 154 What shall I your true-love tell (F. Thompson) . . . . . . . 168 When I am living in the Midlands (H. Belloc) . . . . . . . . 43 When I did wake this morn from sleep (W. H. Davies) . . . . 67 When June is come, then all the day (R. Bridges) . . . . . . 152 When men were all asleep the snow came flying (R. Bridges) 91 When skies are blue and days are bright (K. Tynan) . . . . . 69 When you are old and gray and full of sleep (W. B. Yeats) 161 When we fought campaigns (in the long Christmas rains) (R. Macaulay) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Where the thistle lifts a purple crown (F. Thompson) . . . . 143 With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children (L. Binyon) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Ye have robbed, said he, ye have slaughtered and made an end (H. Newbolt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Yonder in the heather there's a bed for sleeping (A. Smith) 35 Youth now flees on feathered foot (R. L. Stevenson) . . . . 107