E-text prepared by Brendan Lane, Carol David, and Project Gutenberg
Distributed Proofreaders
THE LONELY DANCER AND OTHER POEMS
BY
RICHARD LE GALLIENNE
1913
WITH A FRONTISPIECE PORTRAIT BY
IRMA LE GALLIENNE
TO
IRMA
ALL THE WAY
Not all my treasure hath the bandit Time
Locked in his glimmering caverns of the Past:
Fair women dead and friendships of old rhyme,
And noble dreams that had to end at last:—
Ah! these indeed; and from youth's sacristy
Full many a holy relic hath he torn,
Vessels of mystic faith God filled for me,
Holding them up to Him in life's young morn.
All these are mine no more—Time hath them all,
Time and his adamantine gaoler Death:
Despoilure vast—yet seemeth it but small,
When unto thee I turn, thy bloom and breath
Filling with light and incense the last shrine,
Innermost, inaccessible,—yea, thine.
CONTENTS
THE LONELY DANCER
I
FLOS AEVORUM"ALL THE WORDS IN ALL THE WORLD""I SAID—I CARE NOT""ALL THE WIDE WORLD IS BUT THE THOUGHT OF YOU""LIGHTNINGS MAY FLICKER ROUND MY HEAD""THE AFTERNOON IS LONELY FOR YOUR FACE""SORE IN NEED WAS I OF A FAITHFUL FRIEND""I THOUGHT, BEFORE MY SUNLIT TWENTIETH YEAR"
II
TO A BIRD AT DAWNALMA VENUS"AH! DID YOU EVER HEAR THE SPRING"APRILMAY IS BUILDING HER HOUSESHADOWJUNEGREEN SILENCESUMMER SONGSTO A WILD BIRD"I CROSSED THE ORCHARD WALKING HOME""I MEANT TO DO MY WORK TO-DAY""HOW FAST THE YEAR IS GOING BY"AUGUST MOONLIGHTTO A ROSEINVITATIONSUMMER GOINGAUTUMN TREASUREWINTERTHE MYSTIC FRIENDSTHE COUNTRY GODS
III
TO ONE ON A JOURNEYHER PORTRAIT IMMORTALSPRING'S PROMISES"APRIL IS IN THE WORLD AGAIN""SINGING GO I""WHO WAS IT SWEPT AGAINST MY DOOR""FACE IN THE TOMB THAT LIES SO STILL""I KNOW NOT IN WHAT PLACE"RESURRECTION"WHEN THE LONG DAY HAS FADED""HER EYES ARE BLUEBELLS NOW""THE DEAD AROSE""THE BLOOM UPON THE GRAPE"THE FRIENDADORATION"AT LAST I GOT A LETTER FROM THE DEAD"
IV
SONGS FOR FRAGOLETTA
V
A BALLAD OF WOMANAN EASTER HYMNBALLAD OF THE SEVEN O'CLOCK WHISTLEMORALITY
VI
FOR THE BIRTHDAY OF EDGAR ALLAN POETO RALPH WALDO EMERSONRICHARD WATSON GILDERIN A COPY OF FITZGERALD'S "OMAR"
VII
A BALLAD OF TOO MUCH BEAUTYSPRING IN THE PARIS CATACOMBSA FACE IN A BOOKTIME, BEAUTY'S FRIENDYOUNG LOVELOVERSFOR A PICTURE BY ROSE CECIL O'NEILLOVE IN SPAINTHE EYES THAT COME FROM IRELANDA BALLAD OF THE KIND LITTLE CREATURESBLUE FLOWERTHE HEART UNSEENTHE SHIMMER OF THE SOUNDA SONG OF SINGERSTHE END
THE LONELY DANCER
I had no heart to join the dance,
I danced it all so long ago—
Ah! light-winged music out of France,
Let other feet glide to and fro,
Weaving new patterns of romance
For bosoms of new-fallen snow.
But leave me thus where I may hear
The leafy rustle of the waltz,
The shell-like murmur in my ear,
The silken whisper fairy-false
Of unseen r