War and Love/The Faun Complains

by Richard Aldington

 

THE FAUN COMPLAINS

They give me aëroplanes
Instead of birds and moths;
Instead of sunny fields
They give me mud-holes;
And for my day-long, night-long sacred hush,
(Flutter of leaves, bee-murmurs in the flowers,
Ripe seeded grass just stirring into music)
A hush wherein one seemed to hear
The invisible wheels of burning stars
Echoing upon the tiled paths of heaven—
For this they give me noise,
Harsh clangours of breaking metal,
Abrupt huge bursts of flame.

And for my woodland playmates,
Dryads, yellow subtle fauns,
Naked wanton hamadryads,
And stealthy water-girls
Who stole my honey and my fruits
When I lay sleeping by their pools—
For these they give me men,
Odd, loud-voiced, fearsome men,
Who mock my little horns and pointed ears!