Chill of the Eve

A LONG, green swell Slopes soft to the sea, And a far-off bell Swings sweet to me, As the grey, chill day Slips away from the lea.

Spread cold and far, Without one glow From a mild, pale star, Is the sky's steel bow, And the grey, chill day Slips away below.

That green tree grieves To the air around, And the whispering leaves Have a lonely sound, As the grey, chill day Slips away from the ground.

The long grass bends With a rippling rush To the soft, white ends Where the roots are lush, And the grey, chill day Slips away in a hush.

Down by the shore The slow waves twine From the rock-strewn floor To the shell-edged line, And the grey, chill day Slips away with a whine.

And dark, more dark, The shades settle down, Far off is a spark From the lamp-lit town, And the grey, chill day Slips away with a frown.