I hated it--old Fraulein picked Her teeth, slowly explaining it. I had to listen, Fraulein licked Her fingers several times and flicked The pages over; in a fit Of rage I spat at it... And lying in my bed that night Hungry, tired out with sobs, I found A stretch of barren years in sight, Where right is wrong, but strength is right, Where weak things must creep underground, And I could not sleep sound. THE PROMISED LULLABY. Can I find True-Love a gift In this dark hour to restore her, When body's vessel breaks adrift, When hope and beauty fade before her? But in this plight I cannot think Of song or music, that would grieve her, Or toys or meat or snow-cooled drink; Not this way can her sadness leave her. She lies and frets in childish fever, All I can do is but to cry "Sleep, sleep, True-Love and lullaby!" Lullaby, and sleep again. Two bright eyes through the window stare, A nose is flattened on the pane And infant fingers fumble there. "Not yet, not yet, you lovely thing, But count and come nine weeks from now, When winter's tail has lost the sting, When buds come striking through the bough, Then here's True-Love will show you how Her name she won, will hush your cry With "Sleep, my baby! Lullaby!" RETROSPECT HAUNTED. Gulp down your wine, old friends of mine, Roar through the darkness, stamp and sing And lay ghost hands on everything, But leave the noonday's warm sunshine To living lads for mirth and wine. I met you suddenly down the street, Strangers assume your phantom faces, You grin at me from daylight places, Dead, long dead, I'm ashamed to greet Dead men down the morning street. RETROSPECT: THE JESTS OF THE CLOCK. He had met hours of the clock he never guessed before-- Dumb, dragging, mirthless hours confused with dreams and fear, Bone-chilling, hungry hours when the gods sleep and snore, Bequeathing earth and heaven to ghosts, and will not hear, And will not hear man groan chained to the sodden ground, Rotting alive; in feather beds they slumbered sound. When noisome smells of day were sicklied by cold night, When sentries froze and muttered; when beyond the wire Blank shadows crawled and tumbled, shaking, tricking the sight, When impotent hatred of Life stifled desire, Then soared the sudden rocket, broke in blanching showers. O lagging watch! O dawn! O hope-forsaken hours!