Page:A Treasury of South African Poetry.djvu/226

200 ::And shall yon willow, fain At the stream's glass to deck her bending head,
 * Droop o’er its empty bed
 * Her budding boughs in vain?


 * The winds on circling wing

Through the wide heaven seek for thine hidden track:
 * Baffled they turn them back,
 * And dust is all they bring.


 * Or should the southern gale

From ocean's fields have filched a cloudy flock,
 * With barren mist they mock
 * The thirst of hill and vale.


 * Or if on fiery noons

Some thund’rous pile a tragic front uprears,
 * In a few blistering tears
 * Its brief-lived passion swoons.


 * Art thou forever fled

In wrath for gifts misspent by men of yore,
 * Heedless to catch and store,
 * Thy showers freely shed?


 * Nay then, too angry rain,

With pity for earth’s blameless herbs be stirred:
 * For sake of beast and bird
 * Come back to us again!


 * Come back! and coming bring

No scanty dole meted with miser hand,
 * But to the beggared land
 * A bounteous largess fling.