'TWAS on a brisk October day, The skies and water, both, were gray; Babette abruptly turned away; Our guns beside us rested -- The rabbits, peeping 'tween the trees, Had ne'er seen huntsmen such as these, While, heavily, against the breeze, The geese flew unmolested. The saucy quail had made a boast @3They@1 never should be served on toast. (Alas, the dish we loved the most!) And now the time beguiling, She waited for my heart to break -- I smoked in silence -- neither spake, Until, reflected in the lake, I saw Babette -- all smiling. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE by WILLIAM BROWNE (1591-1643) RESOLUTION OF A POETICAL QUESTION CONCERNING FOUR RURAL SISTERS: 2 by CHARLES COTTON THE ROSE AND THORN by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE CASTOR AND POLYDEUCES by ALCAEUS OF MYTILENE AN IRISH FANTASY by JOHN FRANKLIN BLUNT |