THE DELUGE
AND OTHER POEMS
BY
JOHN PRESLAND
AUTHOR OF "MANIN AND THE DEFENCE OF VENICE"
"MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS," ETC.
LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1911
All rights reserved
CONTENTS
Sonnets—
To J. F. W.
To Andrew Chatto
November
To a Robin in December
A January Morning
February
To April—I
To April—II
To Daniel Manin
To the Leaders of both Parties
Consolation
Tapestry
Wisdom and Youth
A Villa on the Bay of Naples
A Song
The Ballad of a Sea-Nymph
Chrysanthemums
A Courtly Madrigal
In Arcadia
A Ballad of King Richard
In the Valley of the Shadow
"The Sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they werefair."—Genesis vi. 2.
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
The Seeker after Truth
His Wife
His Mother
Chorus
SCENE I
The wife and the mother spinning
THE WIFE (sings)
Love, it is dark among your roses,
The face of the moon is turned away,
The nightingale is silent and lonely;
Lean from your window a little way!—
Lean but a little way towards me,
Out of the window where jasmines twine,
Open the lattice, softly, slowly,
Till the light of your eyes shall gladden mine.
Love, it is dark among your roses;
And how, since the nightingales are fled,
Can I tell your heart how my heart is lowly,
To touch the ground where your sandals tread?
This is your garden; these your flowers;
These stars have seen you; these dews have known;
And now your eyes and your smile you give me—
Give me your love, and be all mine own!
THE MOTHER
Sing that again, the music soothes my ear.
THE WIFE
My husband made it for me ere we wed,
And sang it in my garden; I arose
And leaned down to him, and my fingers gave
To all his kisses. Ah! those days were sweet.