Page:Poems and lyrics of the joy of earth.djvu/97

Rh Of earth and sun they are wise, they nourish their broods,
 * Weave, build, hive, burrow and battle, take joy and pain

Like swimmers varying billows: never in woods
 * Runs white insanity fleeing itself: all sane

The woods revolve: as the tree its shadowing limns
 * To some resemblance in motion, the rooted life

Restrains disorder: you hear the primitive hymns
 * Of earth in woods issue wild of the web of strife.

Now sleeping once on a day of marvellous fire,
 * A brood of snakes he had cherished in grave regret

That death his people had dealt their dam and their sire,
 * Through savage dread of them, crept to his neck, and set

Their tongues to lick him: the swift affectionate tongue
 * Of each ran licking the slumberer: then his ears

A forked red tongue tickled shrewdly: sudden upsprung,
 * He heard a voice piping: Ay, for he has no fears!