The Lonely Hunter by William Sharp

As requested by Jessica. An early birthday gift for you. 

Green branches, green branches, I see you beckon; I follow!
Sweet is the place you guard, there in the rowan-tree hollow.
There he lies in the darkness, under the frail white flowers,
Heedless at last, in the silence, of these sweet midsummer hours.

But sweeter, it may be, the moss whereon he is sleeping now,
And sweeter the fragrant flowers that may crown his moon-white brow:
And sweeter the shady place deep in an Eden hollow
Wherein he dreams I am with him — and, dreaming, whispers, "Follow!"

Green wind from the green-gold branches, what is the song you bring?
What are all songs for me, now, who no more care to sing?
Deep in the heart of Summer, sweet is life to me still,
But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.

Green is that hill and lonely, set far in a shadowy place;
White is the hunter's quarry, a lost-loved human face:
O hunting heart, shall you find it, with arrow of failing breath,
Led o'er a green hill lonely by the shadowy hound of Death?

Green branches, green branches, you sing of a sorrow olden,
But now it is midsummer weather, earth-young, sun-ripe, golden:
Here I stand and I wait, here in the rowan-tree hollow,
But never a green leaf whispers, "Follow, oh, Follow, Follow!"

O never a green leaf whispers, where the green-gold branches swing:
O never a song I hear now, where one was wont to sing.
Here in the heart of Summer, sweet is life to me still,
But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• lonely
• hunter
• william
• sharp
• yt:stretch=16:9

[fritzdog1]

Thank you very much for this poem and the beautiful reading.At first, I didn't realize that it's your voice.Very moving.

[Loreleila]

@fritzdog1 Thank you. :)

[scottie0904]

I'm at a loss for words with this one..

I just thank you for exposing me to it.

[Loreleila]

@scottie0904 :)

[intezam]

beautiful, thank you!

[Loreleila]

@intezam :) You're welcome.

[cosmicskydaddy1]

@Loreleila The poems William Sharp wrote under his pseudonym "Fiona Macleod" , like this one, are the ones I like the most.

[Loreleila]

@willyrenard :)

[Loreleila]

@cosmicskydaddy1 It is? Thank you. :)

[willyrenard]

This is so beautiful, one I will nay forget........