“ Now is the autumn of the Tree of Life :1
Its leaves are shed upon the unthankful
earth,2
earth,2
Which lets them whirl, a prey to the winds’
strife,3
strife,3
Heartless to store them for the month of
dearth4
dearth4
Men close the door, and dress the cheerful
hearth,5
hearth,5
Self-trusting still ; and in his comely gear6
Of precept and of right a household Baal
rear.7
rear.7
“ But I will out amid the sleet, and view8
Each shrivelling stalk and silent-falling
leaf.9
leaf.9
Truth after truth, of choicest scent and
hue,10
hue,10
Fades and, in fading, stirs the angels’
grief,11
grief,11
Unanswered here ; for she, once pattern
chief12
chief12
Of faith, my Country, now gross-hearted
grown,13
grown,13
Waits but to burn the stem before her idol’s
throne.”14
throne.”14