The collected poems of William H Davies Author:William Henry Davies Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AUTUMN AUTUMN grows old: he, like some simple one, In Summer's castaway is strangely clad ; Such withered things the winds in frolic mad Shake from his feeble... more » hand and forehead wan. Autumn is sighing for his early gold, And in his tremble dropping his remains; The brook talks more, as one bereft of brains, Who singeth loud, delirious with the cold. 0 now with drowsy June one hour to be! Scarce waking strength to hear the hum of bees, Or cattle lowing under shady trees, Knee deep in waters loitering to the sea. I would that drowsy June awhile were here, The amorous South wind carrying all the vale — Save that white lily true to star as pale, Whose secret day-dream Phoebus burns to hear. THIS NIGHT THIS night, as I sit here alone, And brood on what is dead and gone, The owl that's in this Highgate Wood, Has found his fellow in my mood; To every star, as it doth rise — Oh-o-o! Oh-o-o! he shivering cries. And, looking at the Moon this night, There's that dark shadow in her light. Ah! Life and Death, my fairest one, Thy lover is a skeleton! " And why is that? " I question —" why? " Oh-o-o! Oh-o-o! the owl doth cry. IN MAY YES, I will spend the livelong day With Nature in this month of May; And sit beneath the trees, and share My bread with birds whose homes are there; While cows lie down to eat, and sheep Stand to their necks in grass so deep; While birds do sing with all their might, As though they felt the earth in flight. This is the hour I dreamed of, when I sat surrounded by poor men; And thought of how the Arab sat Alone at evening, gazing at The stars that bubbled in clear skies; And of young dreamers, when their eyes Enjoyed methought a precious boon In the adventures of the Moon Whose light, behind the Clouds' dark bars, Searched for her ...« less