Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DESERT SONG, by JOHN GALSWORTHY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DESERT SONG, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: As I came on from santa fe
Last Line: The scent of rain, the scent of rain!
Alternate Author Name(s): Sinjohn, John
Subject(s): Deserts; Food & Eating; Sante Fe, New Mexico


AS I came on from Santa Fe,
The desert road by night and day,
The desert wilds ran far and free
Beneath the wind of desert sea.
But -- ah! my heart! -- to know again
The scent of rain, the scent of rain!

In fancy I would scale the air
Beyond those yellow mountains bare,
And so with dizzy bird survey
A thousand miles of shining day.
And I would glean the gold of sun
And mark his curving glory run
Its fiery course, and, eager turn
My cheek and pallid brow to burn.
But -- oh! my heart! -- to feel again
The wet of rain, the wet of rain!

And wakeful all the night I'd lie
Watching the dark infinity,
Counting the stars that wheel and spin,
Drinking the frosty aether in;
And I would hear the desert song
That silence sings the whole night long,
And day by day the whisper pass
Of parching heat through desert grass.
But -- Oh! my heart! -- to hear again
The drip of rain, the drip of rain!

When I rode on from Santa Fe,
That desert road by night and day,
There came at last a little sigh,
A puff of white across the sky.
Then -- ah! my heart! -- I knew again
The scent of rain, the scent of rain!





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