"Paupers may pass untaxed,
The Rich shall pay a penny,
The Poor
Must give all they possess."
She emptied her pockets bravely and passed through…
They gave her a golden coin in return for her silver,
Bearing on one side the head of a king,
And on the other a worn inscription
Curved like a wreath
And written in a tongue she did not know.
III. THE INN
There was the inn, beside the path,
Standing like the words of an ancient prophet
Forgotten long, now suddenly come true.
"They who break bread here
Shall not eat for hunger;
They who lie here
Shall not sleep."
All night long the black leaves, one by one,
Laughed, and shivered, and fell into darkness.
IV. RETURN
She has come home
To the house she knew:
But she has forgotten
The square oaken smile of the door.
The room is a stranger,
The fire is sullen;
On her hair a black leaf shines
And clings where it fell.
Against her heart
She has hidden away
The bitter golden profile of a king.