Chapter III: Part 3

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings--nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

THE PRODIGAL SON

(Western Version)

Here come I to my own again, Fed, forgiven and known again, Claimed by bone of my bone again And cheered by flesh of my flesh. The fatted calf is dressed for me, But the husks have greater zest for me, I think my pigs will be best for me, So I'm off to the Yards afresh.

I never was very refined, you see, (And it weighs on my brother's mind, you see) But there's no reproach among swine, d'you see, For being a bit of a swine. So I'm off with wallet and staff to eat The bread that is three parts chaff to wheat, But glory be!--there's a laugh to it, Which isn't the case when we dine.

My father glooms and advises me, My brother sulks and despises me, And Mother catechises me Till I want to go out and swear. And, in spite of the butler's gravity, I know that the servants have it I Am a monster of moral depravity, And I'm damned if I think it's fair!

I wasted my substance, I know I did, On riotous living, so I did, But there's nothing on record to show I did Worse than my betters have done. They talk of the money I spent out there-- They hint at the pace that I went out there-- But they all forget I was sent out there Alone as a rich man's son.

So I was a mark for plunder at once, And lost my cash (can you wonder?) at once, But I didn't give up and knock under at once, I worked in the Yards, for a spell. Where I spent my nights and my days with hogs, And shared their milk and maize with hogs, Till, I guess, I have learned what pays with hogs And--I have that knowledge to sell!

So back I go to my job again, Not so easy to rob again, Or quite so ready to sob again On any neck that's around. I'm leaving, Pater. Good-bye to you! God bless you, Mater! I'll write to you.... I wouldn't be impolite to you, But, Brother, you _are_ a hound!

THE NECESSITARIAN

I know not in Whose hands are laid
To empty upon earth
From unsuspected ambuscade
The very Urns of Mirth;

Who bids the Heavenly Lark arise
And cheer our solemn round--
The Jest beheld with streaming eyes
And grovellings on the ground;

Who joins the flats of Time and Chance
Behind the prey preferred,
And thrones on Shrieking Circumstance
The Sacredly Absurd,

Till Laughter, voiceless through excess,
Waves mute appeal and sore,
Above the midriff's deep distress,
For breath to laugh once more.

No creed hath dared to hail Him Lord,
No raptured choirs proclaim,
And Nature's strenuous Overword
Hath nowhere breathed His Name.

Yet, it must be, on wayside jape,
The selfsame Power bestows
The selfsame power as went to shape
His Planet or His Rose.

THE JESTER

There are three degrees of bliss At the foot of Allah's Throne, And the highest place is his Who saves a brother's soul At peril of his own. There is the Power made known!

There are three degrees of bliss In the Gardens of Paradise, And the second place is his Who saves his brother's soul By excellent advice. For there the Glory lies!

There are three degrees of bliss And three abodes of the Blest, And the lowest place is his Who has saved a soul by a jest And a brother's soul in sport ... But there do the Angels resort!

A SONG OF TRAVEL

Where's the lamp that Hero lit Once to call Leander home? Equal Time hath shovelled it 'Neath the wrack of Greece and Rome. Neither wait we any more That worn sail which Argo bore.

Dust and dust of ashes close All the Vestal Virgins' care; And the oldest altar shows But an older darkness there. Age-encamped Oblivion Tenteth every light that shone!

Yet shall we, for Suns that die, Wall our wanderings from desire? Or, because the Moon is high. Scorn to use a nearer fire? Lest some envious Pharaoh stir, Make our lives our sepulchre?

Nay! Though Time with petty Fate Prison us and Emperors, By our Arts do we create That which Time himself devours-- Such machines as well may run 'Gainst the horses of the Sun.

When we would a new abode,
Space, our tyrant King no more,
Lays the long lance of the road
At our feet and flees before,
Breathless, ere we overwhelm,
To submit a further realm!

THE TWO-SIDED MAN

Much I owe to the Land that grew-- More to the Life that fed-- But most to Allah Who gave me two Separate sides to my head.

Much I reflect on the Good and the True In the Faiths beneath the sun, But most upon Allah Who gave me two Sides to my head, not one.

Wesley's following, Calvin's flock, White or yellow or bronze, Shaman, Ju-ju or Angekok, Minister, Mukamuk, Bonze--

Here is a health, my brothers, to you, However your prayers are said, And praised be Allah Who gave me two Separate sides to my head!

_I_ would go without shirt or shoe, Friend, tobacco or bread, Sooner than lose for a minute the two Separate sides of my head!

'LUKANNON'

(Song of the breeding Seal. Aleutian Islands)

I met my mates in the morning (and oh, but I am old!) Where roaring on the ledges the summer ground-swell rolled. I heard them lift the chorus that drowned the breakers' song-- The Beaches of Lukannon--two million voices strong!

_The song of pleasant stations beside the salt lagoons, The song of blowing squadrons that shuffled down the dunes, The song of midnight dances that churned the sea to flame-- The Beaches of Lukannon--before the sealers came!_

I met my mates in the morning (I'll never meet them more!); They came and went in legions that darkened all the shore. And through the foam-flecked offing as far as voice could reach We hailed the landing-parties and we sang them up the beach.

_The Beaches of Lukannon--the winter-wheat so tall-- The dripping, crinkled lichens, and the sea-fog drenching all! The platforms of our playground, all shining smooth and worn! The Beaches of Lukannon--the home where we were born_!

I meet my mates in the morning, a broken, scattered band. Men shoot us in the water and club us on the land; Men drive us to the Salt House like silly sheep and tame, And still we sing Lukannon--before the sealers came.

_Wheel down, wheel down to southward! Oh, Gooverooska go! And tell the Deep-Sea Viceroys the story of our woe; Ere, empty as the shark's egg the tempest flings ashore, The Beaches of Lukannon shall know their sons no more!_

AN ASTROLOGER'S SONG

To the Heavens above us
O look and behold
The Planets that love us
All harnessed in gold!
What chariots, what horses,
Against us shall bide
While the Stars in their courses
Do fight on our side?

All thought, all desires,
That are under the sun,
Are one with their fires,
As we also are one.
All matter, all spirit,
All fashion, all frame,
Receive and inherit
Their strength from the same.

Oh, man that deniest
All power save thine own,
Their power in the highest
Is mightily shown.
Not less in the lowest
That power is made clear
(Oh, man, if thou knowest,
What treasure is here!)

Earth quakes in her throes
And we wonder for why.
But the blind planet knows
When her ruler is nigh;
And, attuned since Creation
To perfect accord,
She thrills in her station
And yearns to her Lord.

The waters have risen,
The springs are unbound--
The floods break their prison,
And ravin around.
No rampart withstands 'em,
Their fury will last,
Till the Sign that commands 'em
Sinks low or swings past.

Through abysses unproven,
O'er gulfs beyond thought,
Our portion is woven,
Our burden is brought.
Yet They that prepare it,
Whose Nature we share,
Make us who must bear it
Well able to bear.

Though terrors o'ertake us
We'll not be afraid.
No Power can unmake us
Save that which has made.
Nor yet beyond reason
Or hope shall we fall--
All things have their season,
And Mercy crowns all!

Then, doubt not, ye fearful--
The Eternal is King--
Up, heart, and be cheerful,
And lustily sing:--
_What chariots, what horses,
Against us shall bide
While the Stars in their courses
Do fight on our side?_

'THE POWER OF THE DOG'

There is sorrow enough in the natural way From men and women to fill our day; But when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more? _Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear._

Buy a pup and your money will buy Love unflinching that cannot lie-- Perfect passion and worship fed By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head. _Nevertheless it is hardly fair To risk your heart for a dog to tear._

When the fourteen years which Nature permits Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits, And the vet's unspoken prescription runs To lethal chambers or loaded guns, _Then you will find--it's your own affair, But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear._

When the body that lived at your single will, When the whimper of welcome is stilled (how still!), When the spirit that answered your every mood Is gone--wherever it goes--for good, _You will discover how much you care, And will give your heart to a dog to tear._

We've sorrow enough in the natural way, When it comes to burying Christian clay. Our loves are not given, but only lent, At compound interest of cent per cent. Though it is not always the case, I believe, That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve: For, when debts are payable, right or wrong, A short-time loan is as bad as a long-- _So why in--Heaven (before we are there) Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?_

THE RABBI'S SONG

If Thought can reach to Heaven,
On Heaven let it dwell,
For fear thy Thought be given
Like power to reach to Hell.
For fear the desolation
And darkness of thy mind
Perplex an habitation
Which thou hast left behind.

Let nothing linger after--
No whimpering ghost remain,
In wall, or beam, or rafter,
Of any hate or pain.
Cleanse and call home thy spirit,
Deny her leave to cast,
On aught thy heirs inherit,
The shadow of her past.
For think, in all thy sadness,
What road our griefs may take;
Whose brain reflect our madness,
Or whom our terrors shake.
For think, lest any languish
By cause of thy distress--
The arrows of our anguish
Fly farther than we guess.

Our lives, our tears, as water,
Are spilled upon the ground;
God giveth no man quarter,
Yet God a means hath found,
Though faith and hope have vanished,
And even love grows dim--
A means whereby His banished
Be not expelled from Him.

THE BEE BOY'S SONG

_Bees! Bees! Hark to your bees! 'Hide from your neighbours as much as you please, But all that has happened, to_ us _you must tell, Or else we will give you no honey to sell!'_

A maiden in her glory,
Upon her wedding-day,
Must tell her Bees the story,
Or else they'll fly away.
Fly away--die away--
Dwindle down and leave you!
But if you don't deceive your Bees,
Your Bees will not deceive you.

Marriage, birth or buryin',
News across the seas,
All you're sad or merry in,
You must tell the Bees.
Tell 'em coming in an' out,
Where the Fanners fan,
'Cause the Bees are just about
As curious as a man!

Don't you wait where trees are,
When the lightnings play,
Nor don't you hate where Bees are,
Or else they'll pine away.
Pine away--dwine away--
Anything to leave you!
But if you never grieve your Bees,
Your Bees'll never grieve you.

THE RETURN OF THE CHILDREN

Neither the harps nor the crowns amused, nor the cherubs' dove-winged races-- Holding hands forlornly the Children wandered beneath the Dome, Plucking the splendid robes of the passers-by, and with pitiful faces Begging what Princes and Powers refused:--'Ah, please will you let us go home?'

Over the jewelled floor, nigh weeping, ran to them Mary the Mother, Kneeled and caressed and made promise with kisses, and drew them along to the gateway-- Yea, the all-iron unbribeable Door which Peter must guard and none other. Straightway She took the Keys from his keeping, and opened and freed them straightway.

Then, to Her Son, Who had seen and smiled, She said: 'On the night that I bore Thee, What didst Thou care for a love beyond mine or a heaven that was not my arm? Didst Thou push from the nipple, O Child, to hear the angels adore Thee? When we two lay in the breath of the kine?' And He said:--'Thou hast done no harm.'

So through the Void the Children ran homeward merrily hand in hand, Looking neither to left nor right where the breathless Heavens stood still. And the Guards of the Void resheathed their swords, for they heard the Command: 'Shall I that have suffered the children to come to Me hold them against their will?'

MERROW DOWN

I

There runs a road by Merrow Down--
A grassy track to-day it is--
An hour out of Guildford town,
Above the river Wey it is.

Here, when they heard the horse-bells ring,
The ancient Britons dressed and rode
To watch the dark Phoenicians bring
Their goods along the Western Road.

Yes, here, or hereabouts, they met
To hold their racial talks and such--
To barter beads for Whitby jet,
And tin for gay shell torques and such.

But long and long before that time
(When bison used to roam on it)
Did Taffy and her Daddy climb
That Down, and had their home on it.

Then beavers built in Broadstonebrook
And made a swamp where Bramley stands;
And bears from Shere would come and look
For Taffimai where Shamley stands.

The Wey, that Taffy called Wagai,
Was more than six times bigger then;
And all the Tribe of Tegumai
They cut a noble figure then!

II

Of all the Tribe of Tegumai
Who cut that figure, none remain,--
On Merrow Down the cuckoos cry--
The silence and the sun remain.

But as the faithful years return
And hearts unwounded sing again,
Comes Taffy dancing through the fern
To lead the Surrey spring again.

Her brows are bound with bracken-fronds,
And golden elf-locks fly above;
Her eyes are bright as diamonds
And bluer than the sky above.

In mocassins and deer-skin cloak,
Unfearing, free and fair she flits,
And lights her little damp-wood smoke
To show her Daddy where she flits.

For far--oh, very far behind,
So far she cannot call to him,
Comes Tegumai alone to find
The daughter that was all to him.

OLD MOTHER LAIDINWOOL

'Old Mother Laidinwool had nigh twelve months been dead. She heard the hops was doing well, an' so popped up her head,' For said she: 'The lads I've picked with when I was young and fair, They're bound to be at hopping and I'm bound to meet 'em there!'

_Let me up and go
Back to the work I know, Lord!
Back to the work I know, Lord!
For it's dark where I lie down, My Lord!
An' it's dark where I lie down!_

Old Mother Laidinwool, she give her bones a shake, An' trotted down the churchyard path as fast as she could make. She met the Parson walking, but she says to him, says she: 'Oh don't let no one trouble for a poor old ghost like me!'

'Twas all a warm September an' the hops had flourished grand, She saw the folks get into 'em with stockin's on their hands; An' none of 'em was foreigners but all which she had known, And old Mother Laidinwool she blessed 'em every one.

She saw her daughters picking, an' their children them beside, An' she moved among the babies an' she stilled 'em when they cried. She saw their clothes was bought, not begged, an' they was clean an' fat, An' old Mother Laidinwool she thanked the Lord for that.

Old Mother Laidinwool she waited on all day Until it come too dark to see an' people went away-- Until it come too dark to see an' lights began to show, An' old Mother Laidinwool she hadn't where to go.

Old Mother Laidinwool she give her bones a shake, An' trotted back to churchyard-mould as fast as she could make. She went where she was bidden to an' there laid down her ghost, ... An' the Lord have mercy on you in the Day you need it most!

_Let me in again,
Out of the wet an' rain, Lord!
Out of the dark an rain, Lord!
For it's best as you shall say, My Lord!
An' it's best as you shall say!_

CHAPTER HEADINGS

JUST-SO STORIES

When the cabin port-holes are dark and green Because of the seas outside; When the ship goes _wop_ (with a wiggle between) And the steward falls into the soup-tureen, And the trunks begin to slide; When Nursey lies on the floor in a heap, And Mummy tells you to let her sleep, And you aren't waked or washed or dressed, Why, then you will know (if you haven't guessed) You're 'Fifty North and Forty West!'

_How the Whale got his Throat._

The Camel's hump is an ugly lump
Which well you may see at the Zoo;
But uglier yet is the hump we get
From having too little to do.

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo, If we haven't enough to do-oo-oo. We get the hump-- Cameelious hump-- The hump that is black and blue!

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head
And a snarly-yarly voice.
We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl
At our bath and our boots and our toys;

And there ought to be a corner for me (And I know there is one for you) When we get the hump-- Cameelious hump-- The hump that is black and blue!

The cure for this ill is not to sit still,
Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,
And dig till you gently perspire;

And then you will find that the sun and the wind, And the Djinn of the Garden too, Have lifted the hump-- The horrible hump-- The hump that is black and blue!

I get it as well as you-oo-oo-- If I haven't enough to do-oo-oo! We all get hump-- Cameelious hump-- Kiddies and grown-ups too!

_How the Camel got his Hump._

I am the Most Wise Baviaan, saying in most wise tones, 'Let us melt into the landscape--just us two by our lones.' People have come--in a carriage--calling. But Mummy is there.... Yes, I can go if you take me--Nurse says _she_ don't care. Let's go up to the pig-styes and sit on the farmyard rails! Let's say things to the bunnies, and watch 'em skitter their tails! Let's--oh, _anything_, daddy, so long as it's you and me, And going truly exploring, and not being in till tea! Here's your boots (I've brought 'em), and here's your cap and stick, And here's your pipe and tobacco. Oh, come along out of it--quick!

_How the Leopard got his Spots._

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
_I_ give them all a rest.

_I_ let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.

But different folk have different views;
I know a person small--
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes--
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!

_The Elephant's Child._

This is the mouth-filling song of the race that was run by a Boomer. Run in a single burst--only event of its kind-- Started by Big God Nqong from Warrigaborrigarooma, Old Man Kangaroo first, Yellow-Dog Dingo behind.

Kangaroo bounded away, his back-legs working like pistons-- Bounded from morning till dark, twenty-five feet at a bound. Yellow-Dog Dingo lay like a yellow cloud in the distance-- Much too busy to bark. My! but they covered the ground!

Nobody knows where they went, or followed the track that they flew in, For that Continent hadn't been given a name. They ran thirty degrees, from Torres Straits to the Leeuwin (Look at the Atlas, please), then they ran back as they came.

S'posing you could trot from Adelaide to the Pacific, For an afternoon's run--half what these gentlemen did-- You would feel rather hot, but your legs would develop terrific-- Yes, my importunate son, you'd be a Marvellous Kid!

_The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo._

I've never sailed the Amazon,
I've never reached Brazil;
But the _Don_ and _Magdalena_,
They can go there when they will!

Yes, weekly from Southampton,
Great steamers, white and gold,
Go rolling down to Rio
(Roll down--roll down to Rio!).
And I'd like to roll to Rio
Some day before I'm old!

I've never seen a Jaguar,
Nor yet an Armadill--
O dilloing in his armour,
And I s'pose I never will,

Unless I go to Rio
These wonders to behold--
Roll down--roll down to Rio--
Roll really down to Rio!
Oh, I'd love to roll to Rio
Some day before I'm old!

_The Beginning of the Armadilloes._

China-going P. and O.'s Pass Pau Amma's playground close, And his Pusat Tasek lies Near the track of most B.I.'s. N.Y.K. and N.D.L. Know Pau Amma's home as well As the Fisher of the Sea knows 'Bens,' M.M.'s, and Rubattinos. But (and this is rather queer) A.T.L.'s can _not_ come here; O. and O. and D.O.A. Must go round another way. Orient, Anchor, Bibby, Hall, Never go that way at all. U.C.S. would have a fit If it found itself on it. And if 'Beavers' took their cargoes To Penang instead of Lagos, Or a fat Shaw-Savill bore Passengers to Singapore, Or a White Star were to try a Little trip to Sourabaya, Or a B.S.A. went on Past Natal to Cheribon, Then great Mr. Lloyds would come With a wire and drag them home!

* * * * *

You'll know what my riddle means When you've eaten mangosteens.

_The Crab that Played with the Sea._

Pussy can sit by the fire and sing,
Pussy can climb a tree,
Or play with a silly old cork and string
To 'muse herself, not me.
But _I_ like _Binkie_ my dog, because
He knows how to behave;
So, _Binkie's_ the same as the First Friend was,
And I am the Man in the Cave!

Pussy will play man-Friday till
It's time to wet her paw
And make her walk on the window-sill
(For the footprint Crusoe saw);
Then she fluffles her tail and mews,
And scratches and won't attend.
But _Binkie_ will play whatever I choose,
And he is my true First Friend!

Pussy will rub my knees with her head
Pretending she loves me hard;
But the very minute I go to my bed
Pussy runs out in the yard,
And there she stays till the morning-light;
So I know it is only pretend;
But _Binkie_, he snores at my feet all night,
And he is my Firstest Friend!

_The Cat that Walked by Himself_

There was never a Queen like Balkis,
From here to the wide world's end;
But Balkis talked to a butterfly
As you would talk to a friend.

There was never a King like Solomon,
Not since the world began;
But Solomon talked to a butterfly
As a man would talk to a man.

_She_ was Queen of Sabaea--
And _he_ was Asia's Lord--
But they both of 'em talked to butterflies
When they took their walks abroad!

_The Butterfly that Stamped._

THE LOOKING-GLASS

_(A Country Dance)_

_Queen Bess was Harry's daughter. Stand forward partners all! She danced King Philip down-a down, And left her shoe to show 'twas true-- (The very tune I'm playing you) In Norgem at Brickwall!_

The Queen was in her chamber, and she was middling old, Her petticoat was satin, and her stomacher was gold. Backwards and forwards and sideways did she pass, Making up her mind to face the cruel looking-glass. The cruel looking-glass that will never show a lass As comely or as kindly or as young as what she was!

_Queen Bess was Harry's daughter. Now hand your partners all!_ The Queen was in her chamber, a-combing of her hair. There came Queen Mary's spirit and It stood behind her chair. Singing, 'Backwards and forwards and sideways may you pass, But I will stand behind you till you face the looking-glass. The cruel looking-glass that will never show a lass As lovely or unlucky or as lonely as I was!'

_Queen Bess was Harry's daughter.--Now turn your partners all!_ The Queen was in her chamber, a-weeping very sore. There came Lord Leicester's spirit and It scratched upon the door, Singing, 'Backwards and forwards and sideways may you pass, But I will walk beside you till you face the looking-glass. The cruel looking-glass that will never show a lass As hard and unforgiving or as wicked as you was!'

_Queen Bess was Harry's daughter. Now kiss your partners all!_

The Queen was in her chamber; her sins were on her head. She looked the spirits up and down and statelily she said:-- Backwards and forwards and sideways though I've been, Yet I am Harry's daughter and I am England's Queen!' And she faced the looking-glass (and whatever else there was), And she saw her day was over and she saw her beauty pass In the cruel looking-glass, that can always hurt a lass More hard than any ghost there is or any man there was!

THE QUEEN'S MEN

Valour and Innocence Have latterly gone hence To certain death by certain shame attended. Envy--ah! even to tears!-- The fortune of their years Which, though so few, yet so divinely ended.

Scarce had they lifted up Life's full and fiery cup, Than they had set it down untouched before them. Before their day arose They beckoned it to close-- Close in confusion and destruction o'er them.

They did not stay to ask What prize should crown their task, Well sure that prize was such as no man strives for; But passed into eclipse, Her kiss upon their lips-- Even Belphoebe's, whom they gave their lives for!

THE CITY OF SLEEP

Over the edge of the purple down,
Where the single lamplight gleams.
Know ye the road to the Merciful Town
That is hard by the Sea of Dreams--
Where the poor may lay their wrongs away,
And the sick may forget to-weep?
But we--pity us! Oh, pity us!
We wakeful; ah, pity us!--
We must go back with Policeman Day--
Back from the City of Sleep!

Weary they turn from the scroll and crown,
Fetter and prayer and plough--
They that go up to the Merciful Town,
For her gates are closing now.
It is their right in the Baths of Night
Body and soul to steep,
But we--pity us! ah, pity us!
We wakeful; oh, pity us!--
We must go back with Policeman Day--
Back from the City of Sleep!

Over the edge of the purple down,
Ere the tender dreams begin,
Look--we may look--at the Merciful Towns
But we may not enter in!
Outcasts all, from her guarded wall
Back to our watch we creep:
We--pity us! ah, pity us!
We wakeful; oh, pity us!--
We that go back with Policeman Day--
Back from the City of Sleep!

THE WIDOWER

For a season there must be pain-- For a little, little space I shall lose the sight of her face, Take back the old life again While She is at rest in her place.

For a season this pain must endure-- For a little, little while I shall sigh more often than smile, Till Time shall work me a cure, And the pitiful days beguile.

For that season we must be apart, For a little length of years, Till my life's last hour nears, And, above the beat of my heart, I hear Her voice in my ears.

But I shall not understand-- Being set on some later love, Shall not know her for whom I strove, Till she reach me forth her hand, Saying, 'Who but I have the right?' And out of a troubled night Shall draw me safe to the land.

THE PRAYER OF MIRIAM COHEN

From the wheel and the drift of Things Deliver us, Good Lord, And we will face the wrath of Kings, The faggot and the sword!

Lay not Thy Works before our eyes, Nor vex us with Thy Wars, Lest we should feel the straining skies O'ertrod by trampling stars.

Hold us secure behind the gates Of saving flesh and bone, Lest we should dream what dream awaits The soul escaped alone.

Thy Path, Thy Purposes conceal From our beleaguered realm, Lest any shattering whisper steal Upon us and o'erwhelm.

A veil 'twixt us and Thee, Good Lord, A veil 'twixt us and Thee, Lest we should hear too clear, too clear, And unto madness see!

THE SONG OF THE LITTLE HUNTER

Ere Mor the Peacock flutters, ere the Monkey People cry,
Ere Chil the Kite swoops down a furlong sheer,
Through the Jungle very softly flits a shadow and a sigh--
He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear!
Very softly down the glade runs a waiting, watching shade,
And the whisper spreads and widens far and near.
And the sweat is on thy brow, for he passes even now--
He is Fear, O Little Hunter, he is Fear!

Ere the moon has climbed the mountain, ere the rocks are ribbed with light,
When the downward-dipping trails are dank and drear,

Comes a breathing hard behind thee--_snuffle-snuffle_ through the night--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!
On thy knees and draw the bow; bid the shrilling arrow go;
In the empty, mocking thicket plunge the spear!
But thy hands are loosed and weak, and the blood has left thy cheek--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!

When the heat-cloud sucks the tempest, when the slivered pine-trees fall,
When the blinding, blaring rain-squalls lash and veer,
Through the war-gongs of the thunder rings a voice more loud than all--
It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!
Now the spates are banked and deep; now the footless boulders leap--
Now the lightning shows each littlest leaf-rib clear--
But thy throat is shut and dried, and thy heart against thy side
Hammers: Fear, O Little Hunter--this is Fear!

GOW'S WATCH

ACT II. SCENE 2

_The pavilion in the Gardens. Enter Ferdinand and the King_

_Ferdinand_. Your tiercel's too long at hack. Sir. He's no eyass But a passage-hawk that footed ere we caught him. Dangerously free o' the air. Faith, were he mine (As mine's the glove he binds to for his tirings) I'd fly him with a make-hawk. He's in yarak Plumed to the very point. So manned, so weathered! Give him the firmament God made him for. And what shall take the air of him?

_The King_. A young wing yet. Bold--overbold on the perch, but, think you, Ferdinand, He can endure the tall skies yonder? Cozen Advantage out of the teeth of the hurricane? Choose his own mate against the lammer-geier? Ride out a night-long tempest, hold his pitch Between the lightning and the cloud it leaps from, Never too pressed to kill?

_Ferdinand_. I'll answer for him. Bating all parable, I know the Prince. There's a bleak devil in the young, my Lord; God put it there to save 'em from their elders And break their father's heart, but bear them scatheless Through mire and thorns and blood if need be. Think What our prime saw! Such glory, such achievements As now our children, wondering at, examine Themselves to see if they shall hardly equal. But what cared we while we wrought the wonders? Nothing! The rampant deed contented.

_The King_. Little enough, God knows! But afterwards? After-- There comes the reckoning. I would save him that.

_Ferdinand_. Save him dry scars that ache of winter-nights. Worn out self-pity and as much of knowledge As makes old men fear judgment? Then loose him--loose him, A' God's name loose him to adventure early! And trust some random pike, or half-backed horse, Besides what's caught in Italy, to save him.

_The King_. I know. I know. And yet ... What stirs in the garden?

_Enter Gow and a Gardener bearing the Prince's body_

_Ferdinand_.(Gods give me patience!) Gow and a gardener Bearing some load along in the dusk to the dunghill. Nay--a dead branch--But as I said, the Prince----

_The King. _They've set it down. Strange that they work so late.

_Gow (setting down the body)_. Heark, you unsanctified fool, while I set out our story. We found it, this side the North park wall which it had climbed to pluck nectarines from the alley. Heark again! There was a nectarine in its hand when we found it, and the naughty brick that slipped from the coping beneath its foot and so caused its death, lies now under the wall for the King to see.

_The King (above)_. The King to see! Why should he? Who's the man?

_Gow_. That is your tale. Swerve from it by so much as the breadth of my dagger and here's your instant reward. You heard not, saw not, and by the Horns of ninefold-cuckolded Jupiter you thought not nor dreamed not anything more or other!

_The King_. Ninefold-cuckolded Jupiter. That's a rare oath! Shall we look closer?

_Ferdinand_. Not yet, my Lord! (I cannot hear him breathe.)

_Gardener_. The North park wall? It was so. Plucking nectarines. It shall be. But how shall I say if any ask why our Lady the Queen--

_Gow (stabs him)_. Thus! Hie after the Prince and tell him y'are the first fruits of his nectarine tree. Bleed there behind the laurels.

_The King_. Why did Gow buffet the clown? What said he? I'll go look.

_Ferdinand (above)_. Save yourself! It is the King!

_Enter the King and Ferdinand to Gow_

_Gow_. God save you! This was the Prince!

_The King_. The Prince! Not a dead branch? (_Uncovers the face_.) My flesh and blood! My son! my son! my son!

_Ferdinand_ (_to Gow_). I had feared something of this. And that fool yonder?

_Gow_. Dead, or as good. He cannot speak.

_Ferdinand_. Better so.

_The King_. 'Loosed to adventure early!' Tell the tale.

_Gow_. Saddest truth alack! I came upon him not a half hour since, fallen from the North park wall over against the Deerpark side--dead--dead!--a nectarine in his hand that the dear lad must have climbed for, and plucked the very instant, look you, that a brick slipped on the coping. 'Tis there now. So I lifted him, but his neck was as you see--and already cold.

_The King_. Oh, very cold. But why should he have troubled to climb? He was free of all the fruit in my garden, God knows!... What, Gow?

_Gow_. Surely, God knows!

_The King_. A lad's trick. But I love him the better for it.... True, he's past loving.... And now we must tell our Queen. What a coil at the day's end! She'll grieve for him. Not as I shall; Ferdinand, but as youth for youth. They were much of the same age. Playmate for playmate. See, he wears her colours. That is the knot she gave him last--last.... Oh God! When was yesterday?

_Ferdinand_. Come in! Come in, my Lord. There's a dew falling.

_The King_. He'll take no harm of it. I'll follow presently..... He's all his mother's now and none of mine-- Her very face on the bride-pillow. Yet I tricked her. But that was later--and she never guessed. I do not think he sinned much--he's too young-- Much the same age as my Queen. God must not judge him Too hardly for such slips as youth may fall in. But I'll entreat that Throne.

(_Prays by the body._)

_Gow_. The Heavens hold up still. Earth opens not and this dew's mere water. What shall a man think of it all? _(To Gardener.)_ Not dead yet, sirrah? I bade you follow the Prince. Despatch!

_Gardener_. Some kind soul pluck out the dagger. Why did you slay me? I'd done no wrong. I'd ha' kept it secret till my dying day. But not now--not now! I'm dying. The Prince fell from the Queen's chamber window. I saw it in the nut alley. He was----

_Ferdinand_. But what made you in the nut alley at that hour?

_Gardener_. No wrong. No more than another man's wife. Jocasta of the still-room. She'd kissed me good-night too; but that's over with the rest.... I've stumbled on the Prince's beastly loves, and I pay for all. Let me pass!

_Gow_. Count it your fortune, honest man. You would have revealed it to your woman at the next meeting. You fleshmongers are all one feather. _(Plucks out the dagger.)_ Go in peace and lay your death to Fortune's door. He's sped--thank Fortune!

_Ferdinand_. Who knows not Fortune, glutted on easy thrones, Stealing from feasts as rare to coney-catch Privily in the hedgerows for a clown. With that same cruel-lustful hand and eye, Those nails and wedges, that one hammer and lead, And the very gerb of long-stored lightning loosed. Yesterday 'gainst some King.

_The King_. I have pursued with prayers where my heart warns me My soul shall overtake--

_Enter the Queen_

_The King_. Look not! Wait till I tell you, dearest.... Air!... 'Loosed to adventure early' ... I go late. _(Dies.)_

_Gow_. So! God hath cut off the Prince in his pleasures. Gow, to save the King, hath silenced one poor fool who knew how it befell, and now the King's dead, needs only that the Queen should kill Gow and all's safe for her this side o' the Judgment. ...Senor Ferdinand, the wind's easterly. I'm for the road.

_Ferdinand_. My horse is at the gate. God speed you. Whither?

_Gow_. To the Duke, if the Queen does not lay hands on me before. However it goes, I charge you bear witness, Senor Ferdinand, I served the old King faithfully. To the death, Senor Ferdinand--to the death!

THE WISHING CAPS

Life's all getting and giving. I've only myself to give. What shall I do for a living? I've only one life to live. End it? I'll not find another. Spend it? But how shall I best? Sure the wise plan is to live like a man And Luck may look after the rest! Largesse! Largesse, Fortune! Give or hold at your will. If I've no care for Fortune, Fortune must follow me still.

Bad Luck, she is never a lady, But the commonest wench on the street, Shuffling, shabby and shady, Shameless to pass or meet. Walk with her once--it's a weakness! Talk to her twice--it's a crime! Thrust her away when she gives you 'good day,' And the besom won't board you next time. Largesse! Largesse, Fortune! What is Your Ladyship's mood? If I've no care for Fortune, My Fortune is bound to be good!

Good Luck, she is never a lady, But the cursedest quean alive! Tricksey, wincing and jady, Kittle to lead or drive. Greet her--she's hailing a stranger! Meet her--she's busking to leave. Let her alone for a shrew to the bone, And the hussy comes plucking your sleeve! Largesse! Largesse, Fortune! I'll neither follow nor flee. If I don't run after Fortune, Fortune must run after me!

'BY THE HOOF OF THE WILD GOAT'

By the Hoof of the Wild Goat uptossed From the cliff where she lay in the Sun Fell the Stone To the Tarn where the daylight is lost, So she fell from the light of the Sun And alone!

Now the fall was ordained from the first With the Goat and the Cliff and the Tarn, But the Stone Knows only her life is accursed As she sinks from the light of the Sun And alone!

Oh Thou Who has builded the World, Oh Thou Who has lighted the Sun, Oh Thou Who has darkened the Tarn, Judge Thou The sin of the Stone that was hurled By the goat from the light of the Sun, As she sinks in the mire of the Tarn, Even now--even now--even now!

SONG OF THE RED WAR-BOAT

(A.D. 683)

Shove off from the wharf-edge! Steady! Watch for a smooth! Give way! If she feels the lop already She'll stand on her head in the bay. It's ebb--it's dusk--it's blowing. The shoals are a mile of white. But (snatch her along!) we're going To find our master to-night.

_For we hold that in all disaster Of shipwreck, storm, or sword, A Man must stand by his Master When once he has pledged his word._

Raging seas have we rowed in, But we seldom saw them thus; Our master is angry with Odin-- Odin is angry with us! Heavy odds have we taken, But never before such odds. The Gods know they are forsaken, We must risk the wrath of the Gods!

Over the crest she flies from, Into its hollow she drops, Cringes and clears her eyes from The wind-torn breaker-tops, Ere out on the shrieking shoulder Of a hill-high surge she drives. Meet her! Meet her and hold her! Pull for your scoundrel lives!

The thunders bellow and clamour The harm that they mean to do! There goes Thor's own Hammer Cracking the dark in two! Close! But the blow has missed her, Here comes the wind of the blow! Row or the squall'll twist her Broadside on to it!--_Row!_

Heark 'ee, Thor of the Thunder! We are not here for a jest-- For wager, warfare, or plunder, Or to put your power to test. This work is none of our wishing-- We would house at home if we might-- But our master is wrecked out fishing. We go to find him to-night.

_For we hold that in all disaster-- As the Gods Themselves have said-- A Man must stand by his Master Till one of the two is dead._

That is our way of thinking, Now you can do as you will, While we try to save her from sinking And hold her head to it still. Bale her and keep her moving, Or she'll break her back in the trough.... Who said the weather's improving, Or the swells are taking off?

Sodden, and chafed and aching, Gone in the loins and knees-- No matter--the day is breaking, And there's far less weight to the seas! Up mast, and finish baling-- In oars, and out with the mead-- The rest will be two-reef sailing.... That was a night indeed!

_But we hold that in all disaster (And faith, we have found it true!) If only you stand by your master, The Gods will stand by you!_

MORNING SONG IN THE JUNGLE

One moment past our bodies cast
No shadow on the plain;
Now clear and black they stride our track,
And we run home again.
In morning hush, each rock and bush
Stands hard, and high, and raw:
Then give the Call: '_Good rest to all_
_That keep the Jungle Law!'_

Now horn and pelt our peoples melt
In covert to abide;
Now, crouched and still, to cave and hill
Our Jungle Barons glide.
Now, stark and plain, Man's oxen strain,
That draw the new-yoked plough;
Now, stripped and dread, the dawn is red
Above the lit _talao_.

Ho! Get to lair! The sun's aflare
Behind the breathing grass:
And creaking through the young bamboo
The warning whispers pass.
By day made strange, the woods we range
With blinking eyes we scan;
While down the skies the wild duck cries:
'_The Day--the Day to Man!_'

The dew is dried that drenched our hide,
Or washed about our way;
And where we drank, the puddled bank
Is crisping into clay.
The traitor Dark gives up each mark
Of stretched or hooded claw;
Then hear the Call: '_Good rest to all
That keep the Jungle Law!_'

BLUE ROSES

Roses red and roses white Plucked I for my love's delight. She would none of all my posies-- Bade me gather her blue roses.

Half the world I wandered through, Seeking where such flowers grew; Half the world unto my quest Answered me with laugh and jest.

Home I came at wintertide, But my silly love had died, Seeking with her latest breath Roses from the arms of Death.

It may be beyond the grave She shall find what she would have. Mine was but an idle quest-- Roses white and red are best.

A RIPPLE SONG

Once a ripple came to land
In the golden sunset burning--
Lapped against a maiden's hand,
By the ford returning.

_Dainty foot and gentle breast-- Here, across, be glad and rest. 'Maiden, wait,' the ripple saith; 'Wait awhile, for I am Death!'_

'Where my lover calls I go--
Shame it were to treat him coldly--
'Twas a fish that circled so,
Turning over boldly.'

_Dainty foot and tender heart, Wait the loaded ferry-cart. 'Wait, ah, wait!' the ripple saith; 'Maiden, wait, for I am Death!'_

'When my lover calls I haste--
Dame Disdain was never wedded!'
Ripple-ripple round her waist,
Clear the current eddied.

_Foolish heart and faithful hand, Little feet that touched no land. Far away the ripple sped, Ripple--ripple--running red!_

BUTTERFLIES

Eyes aloft, over dangerous places, The children follow the butterflies, And, in the sweat of their upturned faces, Slash with a net at the empty skies.

So it goes they fall amid brambles, And sting their toes on the nettle-tops, Till, after a thousand scratches and scrambles, They wipe their brows and the hunting stops.

Then to quiet them comes their father And stills the riot of pain and grief, Saying, 'Little ones, go and gather Out of my garden a cabbage-leaf.

'You will find on it whorls and clots of Dull grey eggs that, properly fed, Turn, by way of the worm, to lots of Glorious butterflies raised from the dead...,'

'Heaven is beautiful, Earth is ugly,' The three-dimensioned preacher saith, So we must not look where the snail and the slug lie For Psyche's birth.... And that is our death!

MY LADY'S LAW

The Law whereby my lady moves Was never Law to me, But 'tis enough that she approves Whatever Law it be.

For in that Law, and by that Law, My constant course I'll steer; Not that I heed or deem it dread, But that she holds it dear.

Tho' Asia sent for my content Her richest argosies, Those would I spurn, and bid return, If that should give her ease.

With equal heart I'd watch depart Each spiced sail from sight, Sans bitterness, desiring less Great gear than her delight.

Though Kings made swift with many a gift My proven sword to hire, I would not go nor serve 'em so, Except at her desire.

With even mind, I'd put behind Adventure and acclaim, And clean give o'er, esteeming more Her favour than my fame.

Yet such am I, yea such am I-- Sore bond and freest free, The Law that sways my lady's ways Is mystery to me!

THE NURSING SISTER

_(Maternity Hospital)_

Our sister sayeth such and such. And we must bow to her behests; Our sister toileth overmuch, Our little maid that hath no breasts.

A field untilled, a web unwove, A flower withheld from sun or bee, An alien in the courts of Love, And--teacher unto such as we!

We love her, but we laugh the while, We laugh, but sobs are mixed with laughter; Our sister hath no time to smile, She knows not what must follow after.

Wind of the South, arise and blow, From beds of spice thy locks shake free; Breathe on her heart that she may know, Breathe on her eyes that she may see.

Alas! we vex her with our mirth, And maze her with most tender scorn, Who stands beside the gates of Birth, Herself a child--a child unborn!

_Our sister sayeth such and such, And we must bow to her behests; Our sister toileth overmuch, Our little maid that hath no breasts._

THE LOVE SONG OF HAR DYAL

Alone upon the housetops to the North I turn and watch the lightning in the sky-- The glamour of thy footsteps in the North. _Come back to me, Beloved, or I die._

Below my feet the still bazar is laid-- Far, far below the weary camels lie-- The camels and the captives of thy raid. _Come back to me, Beloved, or I die!_

My father's wife is old and harsh with years, And drudge of all my father's house am I-- My bread is sorrow and my drink is tears. _Come back to me. Beloved, or I die!_

A DEDICATION

And they were stronger hands than mine That digged the Ruby from the earth-- More cunning brains that made it worth The large desire of a king, And stouter hearts that through the brine Went down the perfect Pearl to bring.

Lo, I have wrought in common clay Rude figures of a rough-hewn race, Since pearls strew not the market-place In this my town of banishment, Where with the shifting dust I play, And eat the bread of discontent.

Yet is there life in that I make. O thou who knowest, turn and see-- As thou hast power over me So have I power over these, Because I wrought them for thy sake, And breathed in them mine agonies.

Small mirth was in the making--now I lift the cloth that cloaks the clay, And, wearied, at thy feet I lay My wares, ere I go forth to sell. The long bazar will praise, but thou-- Heart of my heart--have I done well?

MOTHER O' MINE

If I were hanged on the highest hill, _Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!_ I know whose love would follow me still, _Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!_

If I were drowned in the deepest sea, _Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!_ I know whose tears would come down to me, _Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!_

If I were damned of body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole, _Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!_

THE ONLY SON

She dropped the bar, she shot the bolt, she fed the fire anew, For she heard a whimper under the sill and a great grey paw came through. The fresh flame comforted the hut and shone on the roof-beam, And the Only Son lay down again and dreamed that he dreamed a dream. The last ash fell from the withered log with the click of a falling spark, And the Only Son woke up again, and called across the dark:-- 'Now was I born of womankind and laid in a mother's breast? For I have dreamed of a shaggy hide whereon I went to rest? And was I born of womankind and laid on a father's arm? For I have dreamed of clashing teeth that guarded me from harm. And was I born an Only Son and did I play alone? For I have dreamed of comrades twain that bit me to the bone. And did I break the barley-cake and steep it in the tyre? For I have dreamed of a youngling kid new-riven from the byre. For I have dreamed of a midnight sky and a midnight call to blood, And red-mouthed shadows racing by, that thrust me from my food. 'Tis an hour yet and an hour yet to the rising of the moon, But I can see the black roof-tree as plain as it were noon. 'Tis a league and a league to the Lena Falls where the trooping blackbuck go; But I can hear the little fawn that bleats behind the doe. 'Tis a league and a league to the Lena Falls where the crop and the upland meet, But I can smell the wet dawn-wind that wakes the sprouting wheat. Unbar the door, I may not bide, but I must out and see If those are wolves that wait outside or my own kin to me!'

* * * * *

She loosed the bar, she slid the bolt, she opened the door anon, And a grey bitch-wolf came out of the dark and fawned on the Only Son!

MOWGLI'S SONG AGAINST PEOPLE