Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


AUGUST IN THE CITY by CHARLES HANSON TOWNE

First Line: THE BROODING HOURS, THROUGH THE DULL AFTERNOON.
Last Line: WHERE THE GLAD, FRESH RAIN BEATS!)
Subject(s): AUGUST; CITIES; URBAN LIFE;

THE brooding hours, through the dull afternoon.
Pause, while a torrid sun flames in the sky.
(O heart of mine, dream of a long, cool dune,
Where breezes wander by!)

Hemmed in by granite walls, the very paves
Grow worn and weary with the ceaseless heat.
(O heart, dream of a shore where foam-flecked waves
Surge, crash, and wildly beat!)

The sad hours creep toward the dim light of dusk --
Ah! how each laggard moment slowly goes!
(O heart, dream of a garden filled with musk
And the sweet scent of rose!)

The sun goes down at last, and lo! a breeze
Pours through the mighty cavern of the streets.
(O sleeping heart, dream of unsheltered seas
Where the glad, fresh rain beats!)



Home: PoetryExplorer.net