THE Faun that haunts my fountain Within the garden close, Is neighbor to the lily And comrade of the rose, And all about his dwelling place The great oaks toss their blows. The Faun that haunts my fountain -- I hear his song all day -- A melody made whimsical, A careless note and gay, Mocking the bird that dips and flings His host a roundelay. The Faun that haunts my fountain Makes secret of what whim Led him from woods Ionian, Through unknown paths and dim, To make an English garden The chosen home of him. The Faun that haunts my fountain -- But I alone have guessed The reason of his coming, The meaning of his quest: He seeks a vanished dryad, A nymph Pan loved the best. O Faun within my fountain, Last of your lovely race, I know what makes my garden close Your fragrant dwelling place. * * * I saw who leaned above your brink One noon to see her face. O Faun within my fountain, I watch you day by day, I know your pagan ecstasy When Lydia comes your way, What time you stretch white arms to her And kiss her lips with spray. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BABY'S SHOES by WILLIAM COX BENNETT INTELLECT by RALPH WALDO EMERSON A FARM PICTURE by WALT WHITMAN THE TAPESTRY by ROBERT SEYMOUR BRIDGES OBSERVATIONS IN THE ART OF ENGLISH POESY: 21. ELEGIAC VERSE: THE FOURTH EPIGRAM by THOMAS CAMPION A LOVER, ON AN ACCIDENT NECESSITATING DEPARTURE, CONSULTS WITH REASON by THOMAS CAREW WAITING THE CHANGE by PHOEBE CARY |