ROUND the house were lilacs and strawberries
And foal-foots spangling the paths,
And far away on the sand-hills, dewberries
Caught dust from the sea’s long swaths.
Up the wolds the woods were walking,	5
And nuts fell out of their hair.
At the gate the nets hung, balking
The star-lit rush of a hare.
In the autumn fields, the stubble
Tinkled the music of gleaning.	10
At a mother’s knees, the trouble
Lost all its meaning.
Yea, what good beginnings
To this sad end!
Have we had our innings?	15
God forfend!