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Robert Louis Stevenson > A Child’s Garden of Verses and Underwoods > XI. To Will. H. Low |
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| CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD |
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| Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850–1894). A Child’s Garden of Verses and Underwoods. 1913. |
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XI. To Will. H. Low
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| YOUTH now flees on feathered foot. | |
| Faint and fainter sounds the flute, | |
| Rarer songs of gods; and still | |
| Somewhere on the sunny hill, | |
| Or along the winding stream, | 5 |
| Through the willows, flits a dream; | |
| Flits, but shows a smiling face, | |
| Flees, but with so quaint a grace, | |
| None can choose to stay at home, | |
| All must follow, all must roam. | 10 |
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| This is unborn beauty: she | |
| Now in air floats high and free, | |
| Takes the sun and breaks the blue;— | |
| Late with stooping pinion flew | |
| Raking hedgerow trees, and wet | 15 |
| Her wing in silver streams, and set | |
| Shining foot on temple roof: | |
| Now again she flies aloof, | |
| Coasting mountain clouds and kiss’t | |
| By the evening’s amethyst. | 20 |
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| In wet wood and miry lane, | |
| Still we pant and pound in vain; | |
| Still with leaden foot we chase | |
| Waning pinion, fainting face; | |
| Still with grey hair we stumble on, | 25 |
| Till, behold, the vision gone! | |
| Where hath fleeting beauty led? | |
| To the doorway of the dead. | |
| Life is over, life was gay: | |
| We have come the primrose way. | 30 |
