A YEAR ago in Carnival We danced till break of day; A year ago in Carnival The boulevards were gay; And roses shook the whispering air, Like a great sibilant soft fanfare. In Carnival, in Carnival, A Prince of Magic comes, To the sound of fifes, and the sound of horns, And the sound of little drums. A year ago in Carnival, The lamps along the quays Lay softer on the misty night Than stars in leafy trees, And down the ribboned sparkling street Pierrot ran on twinkling feet. Ah year!—There is no Carnival: The north burns dusky red, And on the white of Pierrot's brow Is a long scar instead; While ever the muttering runs From the bleeding lips of the guns. This year, this year at Carnival A Prince of Magic comes, With blood-red crest against the sky And a snarl of angry drums. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THEY SAY - . by JEAN STARR UNTERMEYER AD PATRIAM by CLINTON SCOLLARD ADDRESS TO THE MUMMY AT BELZONI'S EXHIBITION by HORACE SMITH THE VIVANDIERE ('70) by WILLIAM ROSE BENET WHAT SAID THE LITTLE ADMIRAL? by WILLIAM ROSE BENET MILLICENT by ROBERT SEYMOUR BRIDGES |