THE DARK STAR “My darling Rue—my little Rue Carew––” D. Appleton & Company Copyright, 1917, by ROBERT W. CHAMBERS Copyright, 1916, 1917, by the International Magazine Company Printed in the United States of America TO MY FRIEND EDGAR SISSON TO MY FRIEND Dans c’métier-là, faut rien chercher à comprendre. rien chercher à comprendre. René Benjamin René Benjamin vii Where are you going, Naïa? Through the still noon— Where are you going? To hear the thunder of the sea And the wind blowing!— To find a stormy moon to comfort me Across the dune! Why are you weeping, Naïa? Through the still noon— Why are you weeping? Because I found no wind, no sea, No white surf leaping, Nor any flying moon to comfort me Upon the dune. What did you see there, Naïa? In the still noon— What did you see there? Only the parched world drowsed in drought, And a fat bee, there, Prying and probing at a poppy’s mouth That drooped a-swoon. viii What did you hear there, Naïa? In the still noon— What did you hear there? Only a kestrel’s lonely cry From the wood near there— A rustle in the wheat as I passed by— A cricket’s rune. Who led you homeward, Naïa? Through the still noon— Who led you homeward? My soul within me sought the sea, Leading me foam-ward: But the lost moon’s ghost
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