I.—The Four Songs
The sheep walk home ; I hear the trot1
Of little feet upon the sandy way.2
The shepherd’s wife is spinning wool,3
While round about the hut her children play.4
I sang the song of Fire : and the lightnings keen flew by me,5
And the thunder shook the mountains when my Love rode out to fight ;6
And the banner which I wove him streamed out in red behind him,7
And the heroes slew each other till the coming of the night.8
I sang the song of Earth : and, behold ! my Love
forgot me,9
forgot me,9
While he kissed an alien woman of the
daughters of his foes.10
daughters of his foes.10
For she had kissed his fetters till he deemed the
chains were golden ;11
chains were golden ;11
And her kisses scorched and burned him as
the sand-wind burns the rose.12
the sand-wind burns the rose.12
I sang the song of streams : and the desert white rejoices,13
For the land is all a-blossom where the rivers hurry by ;14
But my Love alone is weeping, and his heart is sick and heavy,15
And he hates the alien woman, and my Lover knows not why.16
But another song I’ll sing, which shall wake my Lover’s
laughter—17
laughter—17
Oh, my Love will laugh full lightly when he lays him
down to sleep !18
down to sleep !18
And the alien woman by him never, never more shall
wake him :19
wake him :19
Yet the banner which I wove him shall the alien
woman keep.20
woman keep.20
The sheep walk home ; I hear the trot21
Of little feet upon the sandy way.22
The shepherd’s wife is spinning wool,23
While round about the hut her children play.24