184
Aline's choice.
I hold my breath in yon lone old halls;
Echoes that lurk in the niches there
Say over my words with a hollow laugh,
Stealthily follow from stair to stair;
Knights and dames on the pictured wall,
Look, as I pass, with a steadfast frown,
And the mastiff that's chained in the castle court
Barks at my peasant gown.
Echoes that lurk in the niches there
Say over my words with a hollow laugh,
Stealthily follow from stair to stair;
Knights and dames on the pictured wall,
Look, as I pass, with a steadfast frown,
And the mastiff that's chained in the castle court
Barks at my peasant gown.
I know a roof where the wild grass hangs
From the moss and mould to the cabin door;
I know a hound that will crouch and fawn
At the sound of my step on the rush-strewn floor!
Keep your gifts, oh Rudolph,
The chain of pearls, and the golden band,
To match the pride of a fairer neck,
To shine on a whiter hand.
From the moss and mould to the cabin door;
I know a hound that will crouch and fawn
At the sound of my step on the rush-strewn floor!
Keep your gifts, oh Rudolph,
The chain of pearls, and the golden band,
To match the pride of a fairer neck,
To shine on a whiter hand.
