In the Forest

In the twilight, the shadows creep,
Where the tall trees sway,
And the underbrush wears a shroud of mist
At the close of day.
I wander through the quiet maze
Of the ancient wood,
Where the fountain murmurs low, and clear,
As it bloomed where it stood.

The fern unfurls on the hillside
And the flowers petal out,
While the wild things stir in their silent lairs
With a soft, dreamy clout.
The flicker calls through the dusk,
In notes all brave and free,
And time seems lost ’neath the emerald dome,
In this haven made for me.

So I pause with a heart that beats
In harmony with the trees,
And I know that life is more than breath,
And stillness, and sanctity,
For the dream of the wild, the call of the deep,
Is a symphony sublime,
That draws me in from the world of men
To a purer, adoring clime.

• Charles GD Roberts