Page:Flora (Heinemann 1919).djvu/42

 SUPPOSE Suppose. . . and suppose that a wild little Horse of Magic

Came cantering out of the sky,

With bridle of silver, and into the saddle I mounted,

To fly—and to fly;

And we stretched up into the air, fleeting on in the sunshine,

A speck in the gleam

On galloping hoofs, his mane in the wind out-flowing,

In a shadowy stream;

And, oh, when, all lone, the gentle star of evening

Came crinkling into the blue,

A magical castle we saw in the air, like a cloud of moonlight, As onward we flew;

And across the green moat on the drawbridge we foamed and

And there was a beautiful Queen[we snorted,

Who smiled at me strangely; and spoke to my wild little Horse,

A lovely and beautiful Queen;[too—

And she cried with delight—and delight—to her delicate maidens,

“Behold my daughter—my dear!”

And they crowned me with flowers, and then to their harps

Solemn and clear;[sate playing,

And magical cakes and goblets were spread on the table;

And at window the birds came in;

Hopping along with bright eyes, pecking crumbs from the platters,

And sipped of the wine;

And splashing up—up to the roof tossed fountains of crystal;

And Princes in scarlet and green

Shot with their bows and arrows, and kneeled with their dishes

Of fruits for the Queen;

And we walked in a magical garden with rivers and bowers,

And my bed was of ivory and gold;

And the Queen breathed soft in my ear a song of enchantment—

And I never grew old. ..

And I never, never came back to the earth, oh, never and never;

How mother would cry and cry!

There’d be snow on the fields then, and all these sweet flowers

Would wither, and die. . . [in the winter

Suppose. . . and suppose. . .}} 22