Page:A Book of Czech Verse.pdf/95



Hiss goes the rain in the rushes! Watery sunlight is shining, Down on a pinafore beating: Two by two the laundrymaids go. Watery sunlight is shining, Down on a pinafore beating, An apron that floats down the Seine. Two by two the laundrymaids go, Walking as if on a stage, like Daughters of Israel stepping, Holding procession, like dancers; Delicate opera dancers Walking like Venuses, lightly Dancing along with a tray. Hiss goes the rain in the rushes!

Bright like a gleaming topaz Glitters the water. The maidens Step to the waist in the river. Friends from the homes by the Seine Join in the song of the girls, Singing like sirens, and thinking Still, as they sing, of the fishermen, Wrapped in the blue of the haze, Folded in afternoon mist.