When the bark of the fox comes over the hill,
At twelve o’clock when the night is shrill,
And faint, on the ways where the crickets creep,
The starlight fails and the shadows sleep;
And under the willows, that toss and moan,
The glow-worm kindles its lanthorn lone;
They say that a woman floats dead, floats dead,
In a weedy space that the lilies lace,
A curse in her eyes and a smile on her face,
The miller’s young wife with a gash in her head: 
When the bark of the fox comes over the hill,
She floats alone by the rotting mill.

When the howl of the hound comes over the hill,
At twelve o’clock when the night is ill,
And the thunder mutters and forests sob,
And the fox-fire glows like the lamp of a Lob;
And under the willows, that gloom and glance,
The will-o’-the-wisps hold a devils’ dance;
They say that that crime is re-acted again,
And each cranny and chink of the mill doth wink
With the light o’ hell or the lightning’s blink,
And a woman’s shrieks come wild through the rain: 
When the howl of the hound comes over the hill,
That murder returns to the rotting mill.

Dolce far Niente

I

Over the bay as our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine,
Far to the East lay the ocean paling
  Under the skies of Augustine.—­
There, in the boat as we sat together,
Soft in the glow of the turquoise weather,
Light as the foam or a seagull’s feather,
Fair of form and of face serene,
Sweet at my side I felt you lean,
As over the bay our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.

II

Over the bay as our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine,
Pine and palm, to the West, hung, trailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.—­
Was it the wind that sighed above you? 
Was it the wave that whispered of you? 
Was it my soul that said “I love you”? 
Was it your heart that murmured between,
Answering, shy as a bird unseen? 
As over the bay our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.

III

Over the bay as our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine,
Gray and low flew the heron wailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.—­
Naught was spoken.  We watched the simple
Gulls wing past.  Your hat’s white wimple
Shadowed your eyes.  And your lips, a-dimple,
Smiled and seemed from your soul to wean
An inner beauty, an added sheen,
As over the bay our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.

IV

Over the bay as our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine,
Red on the marshes the day flared, failing
  Under the skies of Augustine.—­
Was it your thought, or the transitory
Gold of the West, like a dreamy story,
Bright on your brow, that I read? the glory
And grace of love, like a rose-crowned queen
Pictured pensive in mind and mien? 
As over the bay our boat went sailing
  Under the skies of Augustine.