2 Did I speak once angrily, all the drear days Where was the use then? Time would tell, What woman for me was the choice of God. I used to sit and look at my life 3. But either I thought, "They may churn and chide And found this horrible stone full-tide: And earth breathe hard, and landmarks fall, And my waves no longer champ nor chafe, [be!" Since a stone will have rolled from its place: let 4. But, dead! All 's done with: wait who may, Oh, my soul's sentence, sounding still, "The woman is dead, that was none of his; And the man, that was none of hers, may go!" There's only the past left: worry that! Wreak, like a bull, on the empty coat, Rage, its late wearer is laughing at! Tear the collar to rags, having missed his throat; Strike stupidly on—" This, this and this, Where I would that a bosom received the blow!" 5. I ought to have done moré: once my speech, Why, men do more to deserve a friend, Nor, folding their arms, stare fate in the face. Somewhere your slave, see, born in his place!" What did the other do? 6. You be judge! Look at us, Edith! Here are we both! None of the life with you, nay, I loathe As I, young, prosperous, sound and sane, 7. Handsome, were you? 'Tis more than they held, More than they said; I was 'ware and watched: I was the 'scapegrace, this rat belled The cat, this fool got his whiskers scratched: The others? No head that was turned, no heart Broken, my lady, assure yourself! Each soon made his mind up; so and so Stole his friend's wife, stagnated slow, While, hid in the closet, laid on the shelf,— 8. On the whole, you were let alone, I think! Of poets! A poet he was! I've guessed: Oh, heart of mine, marked broad with her mark, Tekel, found wanting, set aside, Scorned! See, I bleed these tears in the dark Till comfort come and the last be bled: He? He is tagging your epitaph. 9. If it would only come over again! -Time to be patient with me, and probe This heart till you punctured the proper vein, Just to learn what blood is: twitch the robe From that blank lay-figure your fancy draped, Prick the leathern heart till the-verses spirt! And late it was easy; late, you walked Where a friend might meet you; Edith's name Arose to one's lip if one laughed or talked; If I heard good news, you heard the same; When I woke, I knew that your breath escaped; I could bide my time, keep alive, alert. 10. And alive I shall keep and long, you will see! I knew a man, was kicked like a dog So long as he picked from the filth his prog? Go on with the world, get gold in its strife, Give your spouse the slip, and betray your friend! There are two who decline, a woman and I, And enjoy our death in the darkness here. 11. I liked that way you had with your curls Your cheek was chaste as a quaker-girl's, And your mouth-there was never, to my mind, Such a funny mouth, for it would not shut; And the dented chin, too-what a chin! There were certain ways when you spoke, some words That you know you never could pronounce : You were thin, however; like a bird's Your hand seemed-some would say, the pounce Of a scaly-footed hawk-all but! The world was right when it called you thin. |