Page:A treasury of war poetry, British and American poems of the world war, 1914-1919.djvu/381

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And, in the midnight, in the breaking storm,

I saw its blackness and a blinking light,

And thought, "So death obscures your gentle form,

So memory strives to make the darkness bright;

And, in that heap of rocks, your body lies,

Part of the island till the planet ends,

My gentle comrade, beautiful and wise,

Part of this crag this bitter surge offends,

While I, who pass, a little obscure thing,

War with this force, and breathe, and am its king." John Masefield

OUR face was lifted to the golden sky

Ablaze beyond the black roofs, of the square

As flame on flame leapt, flourishing in air

Its tumult of red stars exultantly

To the cold constellations dim and high:

And as we neared the roaring ruddy flare

Kindled to gold your throat and brow and hair

Until you burned, a flame of ecstasy.

The golden head goes down into the night

Quenched in cold gloom—and yet again you stand

Beside me now with lifted face alight,

As, flame to flame, and fire to fire you burn. ..

Then, recollecting, laughingly you turn,

And look into my eyes and take my hand.

Once in my garret—you being far away

Tramping the hills and breathing upland air,

Or so I fancied—brooding in my chair,

I watched the London sunshine feeble and grey

Dapple my desk, too tired to labour more.

When, looking up, I saw you standing there

Although I'd caught no footstep on the stair,

Like sudden April at my open door.