Poems (Henley)/Discharged
XXVIIIDISCHARGED
Carry me outInto the wind and the sunshine,Into the beautiful world.
O, the wonder, the spell of the streets!The stature and strength of the horses,The rustle and echo of footfalls,The flat roar and rattle of wheels!A swift tram floats huge on us . . .It's a dream?The smell of the mud in my nostrilsBlows brave—like a breath of the sea!
As of old,Ambulant, undulant drapery,Vaguely and strangely provocative,Flutters and beckons. O, yonder—Is it?—the gleam of a stocking!Sudden, a spire Wedged in the mist! O, the houses,The long lines of lofty, grey houses,Cross-hatched with shadow and light!These are the streets. . . .Each is an avenue leadingWhither I will!
Free . . .!Dizzy, hysterical, faint,I sit, and the carriage rolls on with meInto the wonderful world.
The Old Infirmary, Edinburgh, 1873-75