The Shadow Land

David Cecil

Night falls upon a day of storm,Of mist and gust and rain,And still wind howls along the sands,And sleet with myriad tiny hands,Slaps at the window pane.Awake in bed lay Jack and Jane,They watched the shadows play;Their eyes roved round from wall to floorAnd then they stopped and roved no more.A lady standing by the doorLooked at them as they lay.Her skin was smooth as ivory,Her hair was like pale silkAll spells and secrets seemed to lieBeneath each slanting emerald eye,And eyelid white as milk.Her stiff skirts gleamed in the firelightAnd the ceaseless hurrying shadows.Her voice was high and far awayLike distant voice at close of day,Calling across the meadows.“Come!” she said, “Come!”; the children came,They had nor voice nor will.Round her the hurrying shadows skim,She struck one with her knuckles slim,It fluttered and stood still.

Night falls upon a day of storm,Of mist and gust and rain,And still wind howls along the sands,And sleet with myriad tiny hands,Slaps at the window pane.

Night falls upon a day of storm,

Of mist and gust and rain,

And still wind howls along the sands,

And sleet with myriad tiny hands,

Slaps at the window pane.

Awake in bed lay Jack and Jane,They watched the shadows play;Their eyes roved round from wall to floorAnd then they stopped and roved no more.A lady standing by the doorLooked at them as they lay.

Awake in bed lay Jack and Jane,

They watched the shadows play;

Their eyes roved round from wall to floor

And then they stopped and roved no more.

A lady standing by the door

Looked at them as they lay.

Her skin was smooth as ivory,Her hair was like pale silkAll spells and secrets seemed to lieBeneath each slanting emerald eye,And eyelid white as milk.

Her skin was smooth as ivory,

Her hair was like pale silk

All spells and secrets seemed to lie

Beneath each slanting emerald eye,

And eyelid white as milk.

Her stiff skirts gleamed in the firelightAnd the ceaseless hurrying shadows.Her voice was high and far awayLike distant voice at close of day,Calling across the meadows.

Her stiff skirts gleamed in the firelight

And the ceaseless hurrying shadows.

Her voice was high and far away

Like distant voice at close of day,

Calling across the meadows.

“Come!” she said, “Come!”; the children came,They had nor voice nor will.Round her the hurrying shadows skim,She struck one with her knuckles slim,It fluttered and stood still.

“Come!” she said, “Come!”; the children came,

They had nor voice nor will.

Round her the hurrying shadows skim,

She struck one with her knuckles slim,

It fluttered and stood still.

WILDER YET THE SHADOWS WHIRL

Wilder yet the shadows whirl.As nailed to wall and floor,Stood firm this one; she whispered “Follow.”Then swiftly swooping like a swallow,Slipt through as through a door.And she led them to far shadowland,Where the shadows stand upright;And walk and talk, while on the ground,The live men trail without a sound,Solid and pink and white.Where the echo is heard before the song,And in the pools you seeReflected houses steady stand,While real ones built upon the landTremble continually.All night long stayed Jack and Jane,But when the dawn grew red,They crept back through the shadow door,Across the firelight-chequered floor,And scrambled back to bed.

Wilder yet the shadows whirl.As nailed to wall and floor,Stood firm this one; she whispered “Follow.”Then swiftly swooping like a swallow,Slipt through as through a door.

Wilder yet the shadows whirl.

As nailed to wall and floor,

Stood firm this one; she whispered “Follow.”

Then swiftly swooping like a swallow,

Slipt through as through a door.

And she led them to far shadowland,Where the shadows stand upright;And walk and talk, while on the ground,The live men trail without a sound,Solid and pink and white.

And she led them to far shadowland,

Where the shadows stand upright;

And walk and talk, while on the ground,

The live men trail without a sound,

Solid and pink and white.

Where the echo is heard before the song,And in the pools you seeReflected houses steady stand,While real ones built upon the landTremble continually.

Where the echo is heard before the song,

And in the pools you see

Reflected houses steady stand,

While real ones built upon the land

Tremble continually.

All night long stayed Jack and Jane,But when the dawn grew red,They crept back through the shadow door,Across the firelight-chequered floor,And scrambled back to bed.

All night long stayed Jack and Jane,

But when the dawn grew red,

They crept back through the shadow door,

Across the firelight-chequered floor,

And scrambled back to bed.

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