Mary Carolyn Davies
To-night the little girl-nun died.Her hands were laidAcross her breast; the last sun triedTo kiss her quiet braid;And where the little river cried,Her grave was made.The little girl-nun’s soul, in awe,Went silentlyTo where her brother Christ she saw,Under the Living Tree;He sighed, and his face seemed to drawHer tears, to see.He laid his hands on her hands mild,And gravely blessed;“Blind, they that kept you so,” he smiled,With tears unguessed.“Saw they not Mary held a childUpon her breast?”
To-night the little girl-nun died.Her hands were laidAcross her breast; the last sun triedTo kiss her quiet braid;And where the little river cried,Her grave was made.The little girl-nun’s soul, in awe,Went silentlyTo where her brother Christ she saw,Under the Living Tree;He sighed, and his face seemed to drawHer tears, to see.He laid his hands on her hands mild,And gravely blessed;“Blind, they that kept you so,” he smiled,With tears unguessed.“Saw they not Mary held a childUpon her breast?”
To-night the little girl-nun died.Her hands were laidAcross her breast; the last sun triedTo kiss her quiet braid;And where the little river cried,Her grave was made.
To-night the little girl-nun died.
Her hands were laid
Across her breast; the last sun tried
To kiss her quiet braid;
And where the little river cried,
Her grave was made.
The little girl-nun’s soul, in awe,Went silentlyTo where her brother Christ she saw,Under the Living Tree;He sighed, and his face seemed to drawHer tears, to see.
The little girl-nun’s soul, in awe,
Went silently
To where her brother Christ she saw,
Under the Living Tree;
He sighed, and his face seemed to draw
Her tears, to see.
He laid his hands on her hands mild,And gravely blessed;“Blind, they that kept you so,” he smiled,With tears unguessed.“Saw they not Mary held a childUpon her breast?”
He laid his hands on her hands mild,
And gravely blessed;
“Blind, they that kept you so,” he smiled,
With tears unguessed.
“Saw they not Mary held a child
Upon her breast?”
SONGS OF A GIRL
IPerhaps,God, planting Eden,Dropped, by mistake, a seedIn Time’s neighbor-plot,That grew to beThis hour?IIYou and I picked up Life and looked at it curiously;We did not know whether to keep it for a plaything or not.It was beautiful to see, like a red firecracker,And we knew, too, that it was lighted.We dropped it while the fuse was still burning....IIII am going to die too, flower, in a little while—Do not be so proud.IVThe sun is dyingAloneOn an islandIn the bay.Close your eyes, poppies—I would not have you see death,You are so young!VThe sun fallsLike a drop of bloodFrom some hero.We,Who love pain,Delight in this.
IPerhaps,God, planting Eden,Dropped, by mistake, a seedIn Time’s neighbor-plot,That grew to beThis hour?IIYou and I picked up Life and looked at it curiously;We did not know whether to keep it for a plaything or not.It was beautiful to see, like a red firecracker,And we knew, too, that it was lighted.We dropped it while the fuse was still burning....IIII am going to die too, flower, in a little while—Do not be so proud.IVThe sun is dyingAloneOn an islandIn the bay.Close your eyes, poppies—I would not have you see death,You are so young!VThe sun fallsLike a drop of bloodFrom some hero.We,Who love pain,Delight in this.
I
I
Perhaps,God, planting Eden,Dropped, by mistake, a seedIn Time’s neighbor-plot,That grew to beThis hour?
Perhaps,
God, planting Eden,
Dropped, by mistake, a seed
In Time’s neighbor-plot,
That grew to be
This hour?
II
II
You and I picked up Life and looked at it curiously;We did not know whether to keep it for a plaything or not.It was beautiful to see, like a red firecracker,And we knew, too, that it was lighted.We dropped it while the fuse was still burning....
You and I picked up Life and looked at it curiously;
We did not know whether to keep it for a plaything or not.
It was beautiful to see, like a red firecracker,
And we knew, too, that it was lighted.
We dropped it while the fuse was still burning....
III
III
I am going to die too, flower, in a little while—Do not be so proud.
I am going to die too, flower, in a little while—
Do not be so proud.
IV
IV
The sun is dyingAloneOn an islandIn the bay.
The sun is dying
Alone
On an island
In the bay.
Close your eyes, poppies—I would not have you see death,You are so young!
Close your eyes, poppies—
I would not have you see death,
You are so young!
V
V
The sun fallsLike a drop of bloodFrom some hero.
The sun falls
Like a drop of blood
From some hero.
We,Who love pain,Delight in this.
We,
Who love pain,
Delight in this.