Chapter V: Prologue

Glimm'ring twilight things are these,
Visions of the end of night.
Truth, thou lightest them, I wis,
Only with a distant light,

Whitening through the hated shade
In such grudging dim degrees,
One must doubt if they be made
By the moon among the trees,

Or if these uncertain ghosts
Shall take body bye and bye,
And uniting with the hosts
Tented by the azure sky,

Framed by Nature's setting meet,--
Offer up in one accord
From the heart's ecstatic heat,
Incense to the living Lord!

Parallelement

IMPRESSION FAUSSE

Dame mouse patters
Black against the shadow grey;
Dame mouse patters
Grey against the black.

Hear the bed-time bell!
Sleep forthwith, good prisoners;
Hear the bed-time bell!
You must go to sleep.

No disturbing dream!
Think of nothing but your loves:
No disturbing dream,
Of the fair ones think!

Moonlight clear and bright!
Some one of the neighbors snores;
Moonlight clear and bright--
He is troublesome.

Comes a pitchy cloud
Creeping o'er the faded moon;
Comes a pitchy cloud--
See the grey dawn creep!

Dame mouse patters
Pink across an azure ray;
Dame mouse patters....
Sluggards, up! 'tis day!

Poemes Saturniens