58
DARK RIVERS
And beyond this are many empty plains,
And farther still, the railway and the scrolls
Of the straight unwound lines, the naked poles
Of telegraph, the coach road rutted deep
From the wet passing of a mob of sheep.
Hard by the rotting timbers of a bridge
A sapless plant of bracken tries to grow;
A harmless lizard scuttles to and fro
A frugal meal of feeble flies to make.
There's nothing here as subtle as a snake!
And farther still, the railway and the scrolls
Of the straight unwound lines, the naked poles
Of telegraph, the coach road rutted deep
From the wet passing of a mob of sheep.
Hard by the rotting timbers of a bridge
A sapless plant of bracken tries to grow;
A harmless lizard scuttles to and fro
A frugal meal of feeble flies to make.
There's nothing here as subtle as a snake!
So the long days melt into quiet nights,
Dun-coloured flats and fire-blackened hills,
But over there, the python hangs and kills
The shuddering doe; and in the light and shade
Of forest paths, such games of death are played
That life soars, glowing on exultant wing—
Man having learned the value of a thing
For which he wrestles daily! Surely love
Must be worth having where such hazards move!
Dun-coloured flats and fire-blackened hills,
But over there, the python hangs and kills
The shuddering doe; and in the light and shade
Of forest paths, such games of death are played
That life soars, glowing on exultant wing—
Man having learned the value of a thing
For which he wrestles daily! Surely love
Must be worth having where such hazards move!
The sickly sunset bathes the sallow stream,
A toneless twilight on the township lies.
There are dark rivers under tropic skies.
And tho' I have not seen it, yet I think
I know the way a lion comes to drink!
A toneless twilight on the township lies.
There are dark rivers under tropic skies.
And tho' I have not seen it, yet I think
I know the way a lion comes to drink!
