BACK she came through the trembling dusk; And her mother spoke and said: "What is it makes you late to-day, And why do you smile and sing as gay As though you just were wed?" "@3Oh mother, my hen that never had chicks Has hatched out six!@1" Back she came through the flaming dusk; And her mother spoke and said: "What gives your eyes that dancing light, What makes your lips so strangely bright, And why are your cheeks so red?" "@3Oh mother, the berries I ate in the lane Have left a stain.@1" Back she came through the faltering dusk; And her mother spoke and said: "You are weeping; your footstep is heavy with care— What makes you totter and cling to the stair, And why do you hang your head?" "@3Oh mother—oh mother—you never can know— I loved him so!@1" |