"Pastoral" by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)
From Millay, Edna St. Vincent. Second April New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1921. pp. 30-31.
[Page 30]
PASTORAL
IF it were only still!–
With far away the shrill
Crying of a cock;
Or the shaken bell
From a cow's throat
Moving through the bushes;
Or the soft shock
Of wizened apples falling
From an old tree
In a forgotten orchard
Upon the hilly rock!
Oh, grey hill,
Where the grazing herd
[Page 31]
Licks the purple blossom,
Crops the spiky weed !
Oh, stony pasture,
Where the tall mullein
Stands up so sturdy
On its little seed !
[Page 32]
