Alfred Douglas (1870-1945). The Green River. Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. 1922. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse

Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922.

The Green River

By Alfred Douglas (1870–1945)


I KNOW a green grass path that leaves the field,
And like a running river, winds along
Into a leafy wood where is no throng
Of birds at noon-day, and no soft throats yield
Their music to the moon. The place is seal’d,	5
An unclaim’d sovereignty of voiceless song,
And all the unravish’d silences belong
To some sweet singer lost or unreveal’d.

So is my soul become a silent place.
Oh may I wake from this uneasy night	10
To find a voice of music manifold.
Let it be shape of sorrow with wan face,
Or Love that swoons on sleep, or else delight
That is as wide-eyed as a marigold.