Shadows
I never brushed aside the leaves
That stemmed a mountain spring
But came the shadow of a dread
Age-old unreasoning,
That I had turned my helpless back
To claws that followed on my track.
I never crossed the bar at dawn
Where waves rose thin and green
And watched an old seal close aboard,
Distorted by the screen,
But grim Cerberus stood once more
And growled before the nether door!