Witch Poem by Ruth Manning-Sanders

To C.R.

Now everything was wrong, and all our souls
Shrivelled to tired old dwarfs, whose sunken gaze
No torch of hope could light to kindly blaze :
So sat they mute and helpless, though live coals
Of anger burnt the sentences of scorn
That leaped upon our lips, and fanned our drawn
Quick sighs. The evening sun was in the room.
And through wide windows wavered a small breeze.
Telling of brine and tempest-tumbled seas
That moaned themselves to sleep. ' The world's a tomb.
Stagnant and evil-smelling ; we are dead.
And feed the worms of lust and sloth,' you said.
Then, as the chorus of our voices rose
Scolding competitive,—for each one vied
Some fostered grievance of his own to expose,—
Our dreary souls sat grey and piteous eyed.
Imploring one another ; till one fled
And left the tongue a pendulum of lead
Tick-tacking in a senseless monotone;
And one grew vicious, and with huddled leer
Poisoned the wells of fancy, drew a jeer.
And pricked the rest to frenzy of despair.
And still you railed against the world and sent
Excuse and hope and lofty argument,
Scattering hke frightened birds who feel the air
A-tremble with death's bullets ; thus elate
You rallied us to clamour out our woe,
Till we had torn mankind to shreds, and so
Over the ruin paused disconsolate.

And then you played ;—oh irom what stagnant tomb
E'er rose such vaporous sweetness, what dead hand
Drew forth such melodies as through the room
Poured deep continuous power and bid expand
Each puny one, and bid the lies be still
That flickered yet» and pierced to heaven's core
Straight through the husk of every sullen ill,
And found the present grace as heretofore
Moulding the world in beauty ? Oh strange witch,
Raised you such discord to compel the truth
Our souls were famished for, and was it ruth
Or pride that rolled us in the miry ditch.
Only to draw us forth and lend us wings ?
So were we bom again with heraldings
Of music, and the evening sunhght bade
Each face be glad, and light the small breeze stepped.
With sound of seas that after tumult slept.
Into the hush that fell when you had played.