Madison Cawein - The Toll-Man's Daughter lyrics

Once more the June with her great moon Poured harvest o'er the golden fields; Once more her days in hot, bright shields She bore from morn to drooping noon. A rhymer, sick of work and rhyme, Disheartened by a poor success, I sought the woods to loll the time In one long month of quietness. It was the time when one will thrill For indolent fields, serener skies; For Nature's softening subtleties Of higher cloud and gullied rill. When crumpled poppies strew the halls Of all the East, where mounts the Dawn, And in the eve the skyey lawn Gold kingcups heap 'neath Night's gray walls. The silver peace of distant wolds, Of far-seen lakes a glimmering dance, Fresh green of undulating hills, Old woodlands silent with romance. Intenser stars, a lazier moon, The moonlit torrent on the peak, And at one's side a maiden meek And lovely as the balmy June. The toll-gate stood beside the road, The highway from the city's smoke; Its long, well white-washed spear-point broke The clean sky o'er the pike and showed The draught-horse where his rest should be. The locusts tall with shade on shade The trough of water cool beneath, From heat and toil a Sabbath made. Beyond were pastures where the kine Would browse, and where a young bull roared; And here would pa** a peeping hoard Of duck and brood in waddling line. A week flew by on wings of ease. I walked along a rutty lane; I stopped to list some picker's strain Sung in a patch of raspberries. Upon the fence's lanky rails I leaned to stare into great eyes Glooming beneath a bonnet white Bowed 'neath a chin of dimpled prize. Phœbe, the toll-man's daughter she; I knew her by a slow, calm smile, Whose source seemed distant many a mile, Brimming her eyes' profundity. Elastic as a filly's tread Her modest step, and full and warm The graceful contour of her form Harmonious swelled from foot to head. And such a head!—You'd thought that there The languid night, in frowsy bliss, Had curled brown rays for her deep hair And stained them with the starlight's kiss. A face as beautiful and bright, As crystal fair as twilight skies, Lit with the stars of hazel eyes, And lashed with black of dusky night. She stood waist-deep amid the briers; Above in twisted lengths were rolled The sunset's tangled whorls of gold, Blown from the West's mist-fueled fires. A shuddering twilight dashed with gold Down smouldering hills the fierce day fell, And bubbling over star on star The night's blue cisterns 'gan to well, With the dusk crescent of his wings A huge crane cleaves the wealthy West, While up the East a silver breast Of chastity the full moon brings. For her, I knew, where'er she trod, Each dew-drop raised a limpid gla** To flash her beauty from the gra**; That wild flowers bloomed along the sod, Or, whisp'ring, murmured when she smiled; The wood-bird hushed to hark her song, Or, all enamored, from his wild Before her feet flew flutt'ring long. The brook droned mystic melodies, Eddied in laughter when she kissed With naked feet its amethyst Of waters stained by blooming trees.