The Cornet
Conrad Aiken
When she came out, that white little Russian dancer, With her bright hair, and her eyes, so young, so young, He suddenly lost his leader, and all the players, And only heard an immortal music sung,— Of dryads flashing in the green woods of April, On cobwebs trembing over the deep, wet grass: Fleeing their shadows with laughter, with hands uplifted, Through the whirled sinister sun he saw them pass,— Lovely immortals gone, yet existing somewhere, Still somewhere laughing in woods of immortal green, Young he had lived among fires, or dreamed of living, Lovers in youth once seen, or dreamed he had seen. . . And watched her knees flash up, and her young hands beckon, And the hair that streamed behind, and the taunting eyes. He felt this place dissolving in living darkness, And through the darkness he felt his childhood rise. Soft, and shining, and sweet, hands filled with petals. . . And watching her dance, he was grateful to forget The fiddlers, leaning and drawing their bows together, And the tired fingers on the stops of his cornet.
Next 10 Poems
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 01: The Sun Goes Down In A Cold Pale Flare Of Light
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 02: One, From His High Bright Window In A Tower
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 03: One, Where The Pale Sea Foamed At The Yellow Sand
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 04: Up High Black Walls, Up Sombre Terraces
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 05: The Snow Floats Down Upon Us, Mingled With Rain
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 06: Over The Darkened City, The City Of Towers
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 07: Midnight; Bells Toll, And Along The Cloud-high Towers
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 01: 08: The White Fog Creeps From The Cold Sea Over The City
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 02: 01: The Round Red Sun Heaves Darkly Out Of The Sea
- Conrad Aiken : The House Of Dust: Part 02: 02: The Fulfilled Dream
Previous 10 Poems
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 03: His Cloudy Destiny - 03
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 03: His Cloudy Destiny - 02
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 03: His Cloudy Destiny - 01
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 10
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 09
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 08
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 07
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 06
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 05
- Conrad Aiken : Senlin, A Biography: Part 02: His Futile Preoccupations - 04