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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
LES BARICADES MISTERIEUSES (AFTER FRANCOIS COUPERIN), by GORDON BOTTOMLEY Poet's Biography First Line: In this unsought and lonely glade Last Line: In night that closes everything. | |||
FOR J. A. FULLER-MAITLAND IN this unsought and lonely glade That closes with a twilit shade Is some retreating presence near; Has someone gone away from here? Though all is still, that quiet veil Of misty green is thrilled and pale; As though it has been moved, a thin Hesitant light has crept within, And one spray stirs with restless leaves That seem brushed back by trailing sleeves Or green and trailing skirts withdrawn. Press on ward through the hush, press on Past the green shadow and the touch Of fingering leaves that know so much Of what they hide, of what they met Three breaths ago, and reach and fret As though at last they still might stay That presence moving still away. The green veil closes in and drops Behind us, and the empty copse Widens and leaves another dell Where the far tree-tides break and swell But never surge across the space Where the tall brackens interlace At such a height that in between Lovers might stand and clasp unseen; Yet it is less than human breathing Wandering in their feathery wreathing Which sways the frondy plumes so slightly That burning moths can lie there lightly And sleep although a wing may lift. What is it, then, that seems to shift Deep down the dell? A closing veil Is dim and shivering and pale, As though some marvel vanished there Of gleaming face and shadowy hair. Who is she? What of her is known? Press onward through the hush, press on Through the green shadow and the dropped Leafage whose voices lately stopped. Is this another glade, or is Night rising with its mysteries On either hand? Frail glow-worms shine Except where feet not yours or mine Have dimmed them. Is there no one here? Why does a sudden night-jar shear The twilight soundlessly if none Has startled him? Press on, press on, Lest this new veil each moment dimmer Should for a moment move and shimmer And shew the Spirit of Beauty there With starry eyes, intent and fair, Waiting, withdrawing, vanishing In night that closes everything. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DEDICATIONS AND INSCRIPTIONS: 6. GRUACH by GORDON BOTTOMLEY IN JANUARY by GORDON BOTTOMLEY THE END OF THE WORLD by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A CAROL FOR CHRISTMAS DAY BEFORE DAWN by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A DEAD MOTHER by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A HYMN OF FORM by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A HYMN OF IMAGINATION by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A HYMN OF TOUCH by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A LADY OF PARIS BORDONE by GORDON BOTTOMLEY A PASSING OF FAITH by GORDON BOTTOMLEY |
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