EVENING
WHEN little lights in little ports come out,
Quivering down through water with the stars,
And all the fishing fleet of slender spars
Range at their moorings, veer with tide about;
When race of wind is stilled and sails are furled,
And underneath our single riding-light
The curve of black-ribbed deck gleams palely white,
And slumbrous waters pool a slumbrous world,
—Then, and then only, have I thought how sweet
Old age might sink upon a windy youth,
Quiet beneath the riding-light of truth,
Weathered through storms, and gracious in retreat.
“Sumurun,”
Cornwall, 1920.
| BY THE SAME AUTHOR |
| THE DRAGON IN SHALLOW WATERS “A strong and eminent achievement. Miss Sackville-West is established by her new book as a woman of mark in contemporary literature.”—Observer. “There is vigour, simplicity, beauty, and even greatness on every page of this book.”—Daily Express. HERITAGE “A vigorous novel, full of English air, and rich in English character.”—Times Literary Supplement. “Writing with a distinction, a sincerity, and a command of vivid imagery rarely lavished on modern English prose.”—Westminster Gazette. |
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