TURN again, turn again,
Goose Clothilda, Goosie Jane!
The wooden waves of people creak
From houses built with coloured straws
Of heat; Dean Pappus’ long nose snores—
Harsh as a hautbois, marshy-weak.
The wooden waves of people creak
Through the fields all water-sleek;
And in among the straws of light
Those bumpkin hautbois-sounds take flight,
Whence he lies snoring like the moon,
Clownish-white all afternoon,
Beneath the trees’ arsenical
Harsh wood-wind tunes. Heretical—
(Blown like the wind’s mane
Creaking woodenly again)
His wandering thoughts escape like geese,
Till he, their gooseherd, sets up chase,
And clouds of wool join the bright race
For scattered old simplicities.
II
NOAH
NOAH, through green waters slipping sliding like a long sleek eel,
Slithered up Mount Ararat and climbed into the Ark,—
Slipping with his long dank hair; and sliding slyly in his barque,
Pushed it slowly in a wholly glassy creek until we feel
Pink crags tremble under us and wondrous clear waters run
Over Shem and Ham and Japhet, moving with their long sleek daughters,
Swift as fishes rainbow-coloured darting under morning waters....
Burning seraph beasts sing clearly to the young flamingo Sun.