Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, IN THE GREEN WOOD, by KATHARINE TYNAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

IN THE GREEN WOOD, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: In the green wood, by a green slope
Last Line: My heart goes crying and soaring yet.
Alternate Author Name(s): Hinkson, Katharine Tynan
Subject(s): Birds; Forests; Green (color); Nightingales; Singing & Singers; Woods


IN the green wood, by a green slope,
The nightingale was tuning up
Before his full orchestrals broke:
And it was golden three o'clock:
Three of the green May afternoon,
As it were white of the full moon.

Out of the green by threes and twos
Came little folk in soundless shoes,
Quiet and shy and hand in hand,
Glad little folks from Elfin land.
The blue cap of a hyacinth bell,
Their pale hair might adorn it well.

Now hear the nightingale his trill!
O darling thrush, for once be still!
Linnet and finch, forget to sing,
For now's the magical hour and thing
When on the wings of a song are flown
Mortals to the Immortal One.

O blackbird, shout no more, for all
The listening world is taken in thrall.
Listen to the Immortal strain
For all that rapture, all that pain,
That toss the heart high as the lark
To the starred Heaven and the blue dark.

In the green wood my eyes were wet,
My heart goes crying and soaring yet.





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