Sara Teasdale

One by one, like leaves from a tree,All my faiths have forsaken me;But the stars above my headBurn in white and delicate red,And beneath my feet the earthBrings the sturdy grass to birth.I who was content to beBut a silken-singing tree,But a rustle of delightIn the wistful heart of night,I have lost the leaves that knewTouch of rain and weight of dew.Blinded by a leafy crownI looked neither up nor down—But the little leaves that dieHave left me room to see the sky;Now for the first time I knowStars above and earth below.

One by one, like leaves from a tree,

All my faiths have forsaken me;

But the stars above my head

Burn in white and delicate red,

And beneath my feet the earth

Brings the sturdy grass to birth.

I who was content to be

But a silken-singing tree,

But a rustle of delight

In the wistful heart of night,

I have lost the leaves that knew

Touch of rain and weight of dew.

Blinded by a leafy crown

I looked neither up nor down—

But the little leaves that die

Have left me room to see the sky;

Now for the first time I know

Stars above and earth below.

I went out on an April morningAll alone, for my heart was high.I was a child of the shining meadow,I was a sister of the sky.There in the windy flood of morningLonging lifted its weight from me,Lost as a sob in the midst of cheering,Swept as a sea-bird out to sea.

I went out on an April morningAll alone, for my heart was high.I was a child of the shining meadow,I was a sister of the sky.

I went out on an April morning

All alone, for my heart was high.

I was a child of the shining meadow,

I was a sister of the sky.

There in the windy flood of morningLonging lifted its weight from me,Lost as a sob in the midst of cheering,Swept as a sea-bird out to sea.

There in the windy flood of morning

Longing lifted its weight from me,

Lost as a sob in the midst of cheering,

Swept as a sea-bird out to sea.

Look back with longing eyes and know that I will follow,Lift me up in your love as a light wing lifts a swallow,Let our flight be far in sun or windy rain—But what if I heard my first love calling me again?Hold me on your heart as the brave sea holds the foam,Take me far away to the hills that hide your home;Peace shall thatch the roof and love shall latch the door—But what if I heard my first love calling me once more?

Look back with longing eyes and know that I will follow,

Lift me up in your love as a light wing lifts a swallow,

Let our flight be far in sun or windy rain—

But what if I heard my first love calling me again?

Hold me on your heart as the brave sea holds the foam,Take me far away to the hills that hide your home;Peace shall thatch the roof and love shall latch the door—But what if I heard my first love calling me once more?

Hold me on your heart as the brave sea holds the foam,

Take me far away to the hills that hide your home;

Peace shall thatch the roof and love shall latch the door—

But what if I heard my first love calling me once more?

I said, “I have shut my heart,As one shuts an open door,That Love may starve thereinAnd trouble me no more.”But over the roofs there cameThe wet new wind of May,And a tune blew up from the curbWhere the street-pianos play.My room was white with the sunAnd Love cried out in me,“I am strong, I will break your heartUnless you set me free.”

I said, “I have shut my heart,As one shuts an open door,That Love may starve thereinAnd trouble me no more.”

I said, “I have shut my heart,

As one shuts an open door,

That Love may starve therein

And trouble me no more.”

But over the roofs there cameThe wet new wind of May,And a tune blew up from the curbWhere the street-pianos play.

But over the roofs there came

The wet new wind of May,

And a tune blew up from the curb

Where the street-pianos play.

My room was white with the sunAnd Love cried out in me,“I am strong, I will break your heartUnless you set me free.”

My room was white with the sun

And Love cried out in me,

“I am strong, I will break your heart

Unless you set me free.”

DEBT

What do I owe to youWho loved me deep and long?You never gave my spirits wingsNor gave my heart a song.But oh, to him I loved,Who loved me not at all,I owe the little gateThat led through heaven’s wall.

What do I owe to youWho loved me deep and long?You never gave my spirits wingsNor gave my heart a song.

What do I owe to you

Who loved me deep and long?

You never gave my spirits wings

Nor gave my heart a song.

But oh, to him I loved,Who loved me not at all,I owe the little gateThat led through heaven’s wall.

But oh, to him I loved,

Who loved me not at all,

I owe the little gate

That led through heaven’s wall.

My soul is a dark ploughed fieldIn the cold rain;My soul is a broken fieldPloughed by pain.Where windy grass and flowersWere growing,The field lies broken nowFor another sowing.Great Sower, when you treadMy field again,Scatter the furrows thereWith better grain.

My soul is a dark ploughed fieldIn the cold rain;My soul is a broken fieldPloughed by pain.

My soul is a dark ploughed field

In the cold rain;

My soul is a broken field

Ploughed by pain.

Where windy grass and flowersWere growing,The field lies broken nowFor another sowing.

Where windy grass and flowers

Were growing,

The field lies broken now

For another sowing.

Great Sower, when you treadMy field again,Scatter the furrows thereWith better grain.

Great Sower, when you tread

My field again,

Scatter the furrows there

With better grain.

Out of the window a sea of green treesLift their soft boughs like arms of a dancer;They beckon and call me, “Come out in the sun!”But I cannot answer.I am alone with Weakness and Pain,Sick abed and June is going,I cannot keep her, she hurries byWith the silver-green of her garments blowing.Men and women pass in the streetGlad of the shining sapphire weather;But we know more of it than they,Pain and I together.They are the runners in the sun,Breathless and blinded by the race,But we are watchers in the shadeWho speak with Wonder face to face.

Out of the window a sea of green treesLift their soft boughs like arms of a dancer;They beckon and call me, “Come out in the sun!”But I cannot answer.

Out of the window a sea of green trees

Lift their soft boughs like arms of a dancer;

They beckon and call me, “Come out in the sun!”

But I cannot answer.

I am alone with Weakness and Pain,Sick abed and June is going,I cannot keep her, she hurries byWith the silver-green of her garments blowing.

I am alone with Weakness and Pain,

Sick abed and June is going,

I cannot keep her, she hurries by

With the silver-green of her garments blowing.

Men and women pass in the streetGlad of the shining sapphire weather;But we know more of it than they,Pain and I together.

Men and women pass in the street

Glad of the shining sapphire weather;

But we know more of it than they,

Pain and I together.

They are the runners in the sun,Breathless and blinded by the race,But we are watchers in the shadeWho speak with Wonder face to face.

They are the runners in the sun,

Breathless and blinded by the race,

But we are watchers in the shade

Who speak with Wonder face to face.

Now while my lips are livingTheir words must stay unsaid,And will my soul rememberTo speak when I am dead?Yet if my soul rememberedYou would not heed it, dear,For now you must not listen,And then you could not hear.

Now while my lips are livingTheir words must stay unsaid,And will my soul rememberTo speak when I am dead?

Now while my lips are living

Their words must stay unsaid,

And will my soul remember

To speak when I am dead?

Yet if my soul rememberedYou would not heed it, dear,For now you must not listen,And then you could not hear.

Yet if my soul remembered

You would not heed it, dear,

For now you must not listen,

And then you could not hear.

You go a long and lovely journey,For all the stars, like burning dew,Are luminous and luring footprintsOf souls adventurous as you.Oh, if you lived on earth elated,How is it now that you can runFree of the weight of flesh and faringFar past the birthplace of the sun?

You go a long and lovely journey,For all the stars, like burning dew,Are luminous and luring footprintsOf souls adventurous as you.

You go a long and lovely journey,

For all the stars, like burning dew,

Are luminous and luring footprints

Of souls adventurous as you.

Oh, if you lived on earth elated,How is it now that you can runFree of the weight of flesh and faringFar past the birthplace of the sun?

Oh, if you lived on earth elated,

How is it now that you can run

Free of the weight of flesh and faring

Far past the birthplace of the sun?

I love my hour of wind and light,I love men’s faces and their eyes,I love my spirit’s veering flightLike swallows under evening skies.

I love my hour of wind and light,

I love men’s faces and their eyes,

I love my spirit’s veering flight

Like swallows under evening skies.

When I go back to earthAnd all my joyous bodyPuts off the red and whiteThat once had been so proud,If men should pass aboveWith false and feeble pity,My dust will find a voiceTo answer them aloud:“Be still, I am content,Take back your poor compassion!—Joy was a flame in meToo steady to destroy.Lithe as a bending reedLoving the storm that sways her—I found more joy in sorrowThan you could find in joy.”

When I go back to earthAnd all my joyous bodyPuts off the red and whiteThat once had been so proud,If men should pass aboveWith false and feeble pity,My dust will find a voiceTo answer them aloud:

When I go back to earth

And all my joyous body

Puts off the red and white

That once had been so proud,

If men should pass above

With false and feeble pity,

My dust will find a voice

To answer them aloud:

“Be still, I am content,Take back your poor compassion!—Joy was a flame in meToo steady to destroy.Lithe as a bending reedLoving the storm that sways her—I found more joy in sorrowThan you could find in joy.”

“Be still, I am content,

Take back your poor compassion!—

Joy was a flame in me

Too steady to destroy.

Lithe as a bending reed

Loving the storm that sways her—

I found more joy in sorrow

Than you could find in joy.”

Back to Index Next