Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE STATUES AND THE TEAR, by ARTHUR THOMAS QUILLER-COUCH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE STATUES AND THE TEAR, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: All night a fountain pleads
Last Line: Lean on and hate, watching it, eye to eye.
Alternate Author Name(s): Q; Quiller-couch, A. T.
Subject(s): Enemies; Statues


ALL night a fountain pleads,
Telling her beads,
Her tinkling beads monotonous 'neath the moon;
And where she springs atween,
Two statues lean—
Two Kings, their marble beards with moonlight strewn.

Till hate had frozen speech,
Each hated each,
Hated and died, and went unto his place:
And still inveterate
They lean and hate
With glare of stone implacable, face to face.

She, who bade set them here
In stone austere,
To both was dear, and did not guess at all:
Yet with her new-wed lord
Walking the sward
Paused, and for two dead friends a tear let fall:

So turn'd and went her way.
Yet in the spray
The shining tear attempts, but cannot lie.
Night-long the fountain drips,
But ever slips
Untold that one bead of her rosary:—
While they, who know it would
Lie if it could,
Lean on and hate, watching it, eye to eye.





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