Dusk in Autumn

- 1884-1933
The moon is like a scimitar,
A little silver scimitar,
A-drifting down the sky.
And near beside it is a star,
A timid twinkling golden star,
That watches likes an eye.
 
And thro’ the nursery window-pane
The witches have a fire again,
Just like the ones we make,—
And now I know they’re having tea,
I wish they’d give a cup to me,
With witches’ currant cake.
 

The Look

Strephon kissed me in the spring,
      Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
      And never kissed at all.

Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
      Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
      Haunts me night and day.

The Gift

What can I give you, my lord, my lover,
You who have given the world to me,
Showed me the light and the joy that cover
The wild sweet earth and restless sea?

All that I have are gifts of your giving—
If I gave them again, you would find them old,
And your soul would weary of always living
Before the mirror my life would hold.

What shall I give you, my lord, my lover?
The gift that breaks the heart in me:
I bid you awake at dawn and discover
I have gone my way and left you free.

Four Winds

"Four winds blowing thro' the sky,
You have seen poor maidens die,
Tell me then what I shall do
That my lover may be true."
Said the wind from out the south,
"Lay no kiss upon his mouth,"
And the wind from out the west,
"Wound the heart within his breast,"
And the wind from out the east,
"Send him empty from the feast,"
And the wind from out the north,
"In the tempest thrust him forth,
When thou art more cruel than he,
Then will Love be kind to thee."

Related Poems

Hallowe'en Charm

Fern seed, hemp seed, water of the well, 
   Bark of wizard hazel-wand, berry of the bay, 
Let the fairy gifts of you mingle with the spell, 
   Guard the precious life and soul of him that's far away! 

Oak slip, thorn slip, crystal of the dew, 
   Morsel of his native earth, shoot of mountain pine, 
Lend his arm the strength of you, let his eye be true, 
   Send him like the thunderbolt to break the foeman's line! 

Rose leaf, elm leaf, kernel of the wheat, 
   Airy waft of thistledown, feather of the wren, 
Bring him peace and happiness, let his dream be sweet, 
   Take my secret thought to him and call him home again!