Francis William Bourdillon (1852-1921)
On the South Downs
1 Light falls the rain
3After the burning day;
4 And the bright scene,
5 Blue, gold, and green,
6Is blotted out in gray.
7 Not so will part
8 The glowing heart
9With sunny hours gone by;
10 On cliff and hill
11 There lingers still
12A light that cannot die.
13 Like a gold crown
14 Gorse decks the Down,
15All sapphire lies the sea;
16 And incense sweet
17 Springs as our feet
18Tread light the thymy lea.
19 Fade, vision bright!
20 Fall rain, fall night!
21Forget, gray world, thy green!
22 For us, nor thee,
23 Can all days be
24As though this had not been!
Notes
2] laine: arable land at the foot of the Sussex Downs.
18] thymy lea: pasture fragrant with the herb thyme.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: F. W. Bourdillon, Sursum Corda (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1893): 48-49. NCM 1893 New York Public Library
First publication date:
1893
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 2000.
Recent editing: 4:2002/2/6
Rhyme: aabccbddeffe
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