Shrouds Of Black Whither Poem by Emmanuel George Cefai

Shrouds Of Black Whither



Shrouds of black whither go with
Hurried step and pompous pace?

Pace after pace, torch-bearing each
In a hand hidden all in black?

Down the streets, down the alleys,
Down the winding ways, they go.

Nearer and nearer the sea-shore
They wend hour after hour strikes.

And the night ah! the night of dark
Covers their incantations low.

Soon, soon arrive they at the ferry
Where a barge in black awaits.

A plank draped black each ascends
One after the other torch-bearing go.

And once the barge with its cargo
Full, alone unmanned it goes, goes out to sea.

Lone neighed the winds, the waves danced
Though not in tempest but in moon lit glow.

And more the barge from share it distanced
Itself louder the low chants grew.

Glimmered the torches on the barge of dark
Till out at sea a speck from shore it shone.

Glimmered, glimmered, glimmered,
And the moon light smiled, clouds frowned.

And the barge goes, goes out the barge,
Out un to the open Oceans, open seas.

Out, out in to the immensity of Ocean
Depths where land so far alights.

And still the motley crowd sang, sang
Its incantations loud in to the night.

Still glimmered the torches, still
The torches wind-flickering burnt,

And lighted the dark round. Stillness
Of immensity in that immensity abounds.

And on and on sailed the barge
Without direction and without a plan.

But whither the waters threw it, went it
That barge of dark, carrying dark hoods.

And no land sighted, yet hour after hour
Of the night lapsed.

The curtain of the black became as edged
With silver as the moon and then with white.

And lo! Of sudden fell the curtain dark
And Dawn appeared rosy in her might.

And as soon as at touch of magic wand
Disappeared as in a mist the barge of black.

And whither it went let the Dawn sole know
And whither the dark hooded shrouds.

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