The happy princess Author:Arthur Davison Ficke 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: Booh THE EOOFS OP THE CITY Know you that ancient battlemented town, With roofs a-crumble and walls turning brown Beneath their ivy, on whose northern gate ... more »The Lion with the Truncheon ramps in state Upon his shield of dim heraldic gold ? A mouldering town, grown now so very old That it forgets its youth; and like a crone Over her hearth-fire, mumbles dreams alone ; Not fair dreams, but the petty questionings That burr and babble as the kettle sings. To such a place the Singer drifted on Through field and city, aimless and alone ; And in the end, sore weary, found him house In an old slanting attic whose dark brows Frowned o'er the street. Yet when the day did With level sun, and through each leaded pane Poured yellow light, then were he loath to change His window on the roofs for the whole range Of royal gardens. Over gables high Sharp black against the fading western sky, Over old chimneys curling forth a haze Of thin blue smoke,he watched the ending Sink to their low red line of deepening glow, And in his heart would ever come and go The changing pictures of those days that set Visions before the eyes too often wet. And in the twilight he would live anew The love that silent in his spirit grew; Feeding remembrance with each hour and place, Each look that once had played upon her face, Each glory that had lighted in her eyes. And sometimes suddenly a flood would rise Within his heart to bear him, pale and lost, To such a sea of longing that no cost Of life or death seemed anything to pay For one word spoken in the old dear way. But as the days wore on, and moon by moon The summer passed, the immemorial boon Of peace stole on him. Not forgetfulness; For more than all life held, he still would press Unto his inmost heart that memory Sweeter than ...« less