TO A SCARLET TANAGER

Headpiece for “To a Scarlet Tanager”TO A SCARLET TANAGER

Headpiece for “To a Scarlet Tanager”

BY GRACE HAZARD CONKLING

MY tanager, what crescent coast,Curving beyond what seas of air,Invites your elfin commerce most?For I would fain inhabit there.Is it a corner of Cathay,That I could reach by caravan,Or do you traffic far awayBeyond the mountains of Japan?If, where some iridescent isleWears like a rose its calm lagoon,You plan to spend a little while,—An April or a fervid June,—Deign to direct my wanderings,And I shall be the one who seesYour scarlet pinnace furl its wingsAnd come to anchor in the trees.Do you collect for merchandiseRibbons of weed and jeweled shells,And dazzle color-hungry eyesWith rainbows from the coral wells?But when your freight is asphodels,You must be fresh from Enna’s lawn.Who buys, when such a merchant sells,And in what market roofed with dawn?Much would it ease my spirit ifTo-day I might embark with you,Low-drifting like the milkweed-skiff,Or voyaging against the blue,To learn who speeds your ebon sails,And what you do in Ispahan.Do you convey to nightingalesStrange honey-dew from Hindustan?With you for master mariner,I yet might travel very far;Discover whence your cargoes were,And whither tending, by a star;Or what ineffable bazaarYou most frequent in Samarkand;Or even where those harbors areKeats found forlorn in fairy-land.

MY tanager, what crescent coast,

Curving beyond what seas of air,

Invites your elfin commerce most?

For I would fain inhabit there.

Is it a corner of Cathay,

That I could reach by caravan,

Or do you traffic far away

Beyond the mountains of Japan?

If, where some iridescent isleWears like a rose its calm lagoon,You plan to spend a little while,—An April or a fervid June,—Deign to direct my wanderings,And I shall be the one who seesYour scarlet pinnace furl its wingsAnd come to anchor in the trees.

If, where some iridescent isle

Wears like a rose its calm lagoon,

You plan to spend a little while,—

An April or a fervid June,—

Deign to direct my wanderings,

And I shall be the one who sees

Your scarlet pinnace furl its wings

And come to anchor in the trees.

Do you collect for merchandiseRibbons of weed and jeweled shells,And dazzle color-hungry eyesWith rainbows from the coral wells?But when your freight is asphodels,You must be fresh from Enna’s lawn.Who buys, when such a merchant sells,And in what market roofed with dawn?

Do you collect for merchandise

Ribbons of weed and jeweled shells,

And dazzle color-hungry eyes

With rainbows from the coral wells?

But when your freight is asphodels,

You must be fresh from Enna’s lawn.

Who buys, when such a merchant sells,

And in what market roofed with dawn?

Much would it ease my spirit ifTo-day I might embark with you,Low-drifting like the milkweed-skiff,Or voyaging against the blue,To learn who speeds your ebon sails,And what you do in Ispahan.Do you convey to nightingalesStrange honey-dew from Hindustan?

Much would it ease my spirit if

To-day I might embark with you,

Low-drifting like the milkweed-skiff,

Or voyaging against the blue,

To learn who speeds your ebon sails,

And what you do in Ispahan.

Do you convey to nightingales

Strange honey-dew from Hindustan?

With you for master mariner,I yet might travel very far;Discover whence your cargoes were,And whither tending, by a star;Or what ineffable bazaarYou most frequent in Samarkand;Or even where those harbors areKeats found forlorn in fairy-land.

With you for master mariner,

I yet might travel very far;

Discover whence your cargoes were,

And whither tending, by a star;

Or what ineffable bazaar

You most frequent in Samarkand;

Or even where those harbors are

Keats found forlorn in fairy-land.

Owned by Mrs. Frank H. ScottTHE SCARLET TANAGERFROM THE PAINTING, IN WATER-COLORS, BY ALFRED BRENNAN❏LARGER IMAGE

Owned by Mrs. Frank H. Scott

THE SCARLET TANAGER

FROM THE PAINTING, IN WATER-COLORS, BY ALFRED BRENNAN

❏LARGER IMAGE

Back to Index Next