Young Sailor
DRUNK with the whiffs of steak in passage-ways,With many a genial bar and kindly sceneOf sickly shrimps illumined by the raysOf rose acetylene,He wandered through the streets with empty maw;And winter nights are raw.And through a steaming window he could seeA saw-dust restaurant; a woman thereWas seated on an ancient lecher’s kneeWith hat askew and hairIn blondine-tendrils falling Flora-wiseOver her blinking eyes.Her lips like currants glistened and her armsSticky with strange narcotics, downy-white.The elder pinched them, sucking in their charmsWith pudgy fingers tight,And of a sudden pealed behind her scarfA clear, metallic laugh.The youth outside relit his cigarette—In silence longed for love articulate,But he could watch no longer, for the sweatTrickled a-down his pateAnd stung his eyes; and what could be attainedWhen wages all were drained?
DRUNK with the whiffs of steak in passage-ways,With many a genial bar and kindly sceneOf sickly shrimps illumined by the raysOf rose acetylene,He wandered through the streets with empty maw;And winter nights are raw.And through a steaming window he could seeA saw-dust restaurant; a woman thereWas seated on an ancient lecher’s kneeWith hat askew and hairIn blondine-tendrils falling Flora-wiseOver her blinking eyes.Her lips like currants glistened and her armsSticky with strange narcotics, downy-white.The elder pinched them, sucking in their charmsWith pudgy fingers tight,And of a sudden pealed behind her scarfA clear, metallic laugh.The youth outside relit his cigarette—In silence longed for love articulate,But he could watch no longer, for the sweatTrickled a-down his pateAnd stung his eyes; and what could be attainedWhen wages all were drained?
DRUNK with the whiffs of steak in passage-ways,With many a genial bar and kindly sceneOf sickly shrimps illumined by the raysOf rose acetylene,He wandered through the streets with empty maw;And winter nights are raw.
DRUNK with the whiffs of steak in passage-ways,
With many a genial bar and kindly scene
Of sickly shrimps illumined by the rays
Of rose acetylene,
He wandered through the streets with empty maw;
And winter nights are raw.
And through a steaming window he could seeA saw-dust restaurant; a woman thereWas seated on an ancient lecher’s kneeWith hat askew and hairIn blondine-tendrils falling Flora-wiseOver her blinking eyes.
And through a steaming window he could see
A saw-dust restaurant; a woman there
Was seated on an ancient lecher’s knee
With hat askew and hair
In blondine-tendrils falling Flora-wise
Over her blinking eyes.
Her lips like currants glistened and her armsSticky with strange narcotics, downy-white.The elder pinched them, sucking in their charmsWith pudgy fingers tight,And of a sudden pealed behind her scarfA clear, metallic laugh.
Her lips like currants glistened and her arms
Sticky with strange narcotics, downy-white.
The elder pinched them, sucking in their charms
With pudgy fingers tight,
And of a sudden pealed behind her scarf
A clear, metallic laugh.
The youth outside relit his cigarette—In silence longed for love articulate,But he could watch no longer, for the sweatTrickled a-down his pateAnd stung his eyes; and what could be attainedWhen wages all were drained?
The youth outside relit his cigarette—
In silence longed for love articulate,
But he could watch no longer, for the sweat
Trickled a-down his pate
And stung his eyes; and what could be attained
When wages all were drained?