Chapter 25

New England Cottage

New England Cottage

The house is all in wooden rags,The chimney tilts, the gable sags,And where I passAre weedy flagsThat my feet guess.A horse-shoe rusts above the door,Young roses prowl the porch’s floor,Up in the darkWide sycamoreIs thrushes’ talk.And here, a well not yet gone dry!Lean in and meet its mellow eye,Look deep, to whereA round of skyLurks with its star.Happy old house of moldy beams,Of cobweb rooms and loosening seams,Besieged old wallsThat guard their dreamsLike sentinels.Old ark—slow-withering stick and stone,Oak flesh that fades on iron bone;And not deserted,Just aloneAnd drowsy-hearted.

The house is all in wooden rags,The chimney tilts, the gable sags,And where I passAre weedy flagsThat my feet guess.A horse-shoe rusts above the door,Young roses prowl the porch’s floor,Up in the darkWide sycamoreIs thrushes’ talk.And here, a well not yet gone dry!Lean in and meet its mellow eye,Look deep, to whereA round of skyLurks with its star.Happy old house of moldy beams,Of cobweb rooms and loosening seams,Besieged old wallsThat guard their dreamsLike sentinels.Old ark—slow-withering stick and stone,Oak flesh that fades on iron bone;And not deserted,Just aloneAnd drowsy-hearted.

The house is all in wooden rags,The chimney tilts, the gable sags,And where I passAre weedy flagsThat my feet guess.

The house is all in wooden rags,

The chimney tilts, the gable sags,

And where I pass

Are weedy flags

That my feet guess.

A horse-shoe rusts above the door,Young roses prowl the porch’s floor,Up in the darkWide sycamoreIs thrushes’ talk.

A horse-shoe rusts above the door,

Young roses prowl the porch’s floor,

Up in the dark

Wide sycamore

Is thrushes’ talk.

And here, a well not yet gone dry!Lean in and meet its mellow eye,Look deep, to whereA round of skyLurks with its star.

And here, a well not yet gone dry!

Lean in and meet its mellow eye,

Look deep, to where

A round of sky

Lurks with its star.

Happy old house of moldy beams,Of cobweb rooms and loosening seams,Besieged old wallsThat guard their dreamsLike sentinels.

Happy old house of moldy beams,

Of cobweb rooms and loosening seams,

Besieged old walls

That guard their dreams

Like sentinels.

Old ark—slow-withering stick and stone,Oak flesh that fades on iron bone;And not deserted,Just aloneAnd drowsy-hearted.

Old ark—slow-withering stick and stone,

Oak flesh that fades on iron bone;

And not deserted,

Just alone

And drowsy-hearted.


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