The Burglar of the Zodiac

T H E BURGLAR O F T HE ZO D I AC AND OTHER POEMS T HE BUR G LAR O F T H E (07> A N D O T H E R P O E M S William Raf e 3672 6? N E W H AV E N YA L E U N I V E R S I T Y PR E S S LO NDON : H UMPH REY MILFO R D OXFO RD UNTVER SIT Y PRESS MDCCCCXVI II The author W ishes t o ext en d his thanks to the following for allowing him to reprint here such o f these poems as have already ’ appeared in their pages : Reedy s T h e Cen tu r Ma az n e T h e S u n d al y g i , and i (N ew York Evening 38 95 4 5 2 TO LAUR A AND ST E PH E N T o w in old n to our cottage through my mi d, ’ - h First there s a clearing, then a forest patc All dark l ow boughs th at w rithe and claw to snatch My cloak away ; and then it is I find The gliding path that threads the thickets blind v Till, eiled in drizzle, j uts a dripping thatch ; h A mossed green door shin es through its silv er latc . I n w ou n . This lift swiftly, k o ing y behi d ou — all Yes, there y are, one a silken shimmer elfin w Of rainbow fancies in her go n, - l w w l One arm chair sprawled, mumb ing of s ord and j e e , ’ With glasses gleaming ! The rich old room s a glimmer fir li h in e t . With danc g g , crimson on the brown ’ ’ H ll I v e b r u ht s me uel I t s black night ou t . e o ! o g o f n ow You leap up laughing, both of you . Well , Look out ! I ’ m drenched ! These are but faggots here, — t o Soggy at that yet they may serve cheer, ’ h r . I v e c me t o see ou an ow . Once d ied o y , y I ? l h Where have been Oh, lashed behind the p oug ’ S o I In the world s pasture . reappear T o -t o ou v ! you, old boy, y , my ery dear I mi ou r w . ssed your hearty grin, y musing bro [ Vii ] T O LAURA AND ST EPH E N ’ w v w Let s dra up chairs, ser e supper, talk bet een ae v Of fairies and chim ras, ogres , el es , ’ W v Life s hirligig, the tourneys you yoursel es Hav e splintered lance in . Ah , the enchanted scene, o f The healing the old speech and laughter, blending t o l v ou ! To tunes , dreams, to o e of y unending [ viii ] T AB LE OF C O N T E N T S The Singin g Skyscrapers The Quick-lun ch Counte r Fil ms First Film : Down Along the Mountain ’ Second Film : Devil s Bl ood Third Film : The Bohemian Barber-shop Smoke Green Turtles The Suffrage Procession On Sun day Night-motoring The Asylum ’ The Blackamoor s P antomime Mad Blak e Jaldab aot h H ow t o Catch Uni corn s The Horse Thief The Burglar of the Zodiac Alexander, the Crap King h n 1 8 09 The Sevent Paw , THE SINGING S KYSCRAPE R S t This was after midnigh , Thus it befell . The city that is Heaven, The city that is Hell, Blinded by its dazzle Woke me aware Of its tall titanic towers Singing in the air . From Madison Square Hidden in the mist S av e for its pharos A blaze o f amethyst Swimming in the mist, The Metropolitan, Singularly ringing Through steel and stone, Softly b egan In monotone The singing : “ To Enoch in the Land of Nod I cry, Aeons away, b Forgotten y our day, b u But re ilded in the night, Every stone, [ 1 ] THE B URGLAR OF THE ZOD IAC Spectrally on high Where cloud driv es by An d the moon illumes the grey Ghosts of cities in the sky Thickly sow n ; Maj estic phantom cities that mov e abov e our slumber Hung aloft in air b Cities beyond num er, Towers beyond number ! And o v e r t h e Av en u e An d B roadw a l n st ll y, yi g i , T h e Flat iron B u ilding an sw e red W it h ev ery floor at h rill “ n Thebes, I i voke thee, Tadmor in the Wilderness Conceived of Solomon, A Memphis , lexandria, Cyprian Paphos t o A Sacred starte, Overthrown, tragical , Blank blue ruins magical Under the moon ! With sistrum and cymbal Cozen me a tune From this night air nimble ! A nd from far t o t h e S ou th I h eard t h e W oolw orth T ow e r R eply from t h e sky : 9 1 THE S INGI NG S KYSCRA PERS A e o y , cities of p wer, Each a granite flower Stamened t o unfold With towers of ivory , o f Towers gold, Towers o f b rass o f And towers iron, Towers all as many as the hours that env iron o f The years our servitude, Our steel and iron yoke . In the deep blue skies They stand like smoke ! - Pavia the hundred towered, i Sh ning over Italy, i i The Greek Hel opol s, The City of the Sun, oe Ph nician Sidon, Persian Persepolis , ’ The Vale of Siddi m s cities By sins undone ! There the strong rampires Of Troy flare fires . There like spears stand spires . Priceless citadels Pulsate with their paean Aeon after aeon : ‘ We are the eternal, Your frames b ut shells ! We are your sires , The frozen fierce desires [ 3 ] THE B URGLAR OF THE ZO D IAC Of Man made immortal By temple-miracles di And the Singer Buil ng, As t o I seemed know, Resounded through the town From its station far below . It sang of the City of the Violet Crown . It sang Rome risen and Rome gone It sang like a seraph Tremendous in the dark ; An d the mill ion-window ed Plaza Up by Central Park Echoed from afar, Intoning t o a star . n Nineveh they sa g, N ew York they sang ! In surcoats of stone k v Li e huge knights at igil, Each alone Sealed with the sigil Of the glories of the Throne That w akes this Memnonian Music eternal In the clay and the compost, The steel, the stone . S o abov e our shining towers T o my eyes was giv en [ 4 ] THE S I NGI NG SKYSCRAPERS A last great vision Of a w all great and high ; v Twelve gates, twel e angels, ou t v And, descending of hea en, The Celestial City Blinding in the sky ! It lay foursquare To what winds might pass . w as Jasper the wall, And like clear glass Pure gold was that city Blazing in the air ; And sapphire, chalcedony, Emerald, sardonyx, s t Chry olite, opaz, J acin t h and amethyst Garnished its foundations ; An d the wild salvations Of the risen nations Made a glory there ! Night flowed away from it . The River and the Throne Blinded my eyes . My heart fell prone . B u t m b ra n w as r n n r n n y i i gi g, i gi g W t h v ast an t h ems rom a ar i f f , A n d t h e T ow e rs t h e T ow e s w ere s n n , r i gi g T o t h e B right an d M orn ing S t a r! THE ! U I CK—LU N C H CO U N T E R I seize alittle cardb oard slip n On enteri g, and sight a chair To hold—if I can steer it there o On one flat arm, some humorous fo d . A good day this for going nude ! The seething street—the stifling glare ! Thick-b eaded brow and cheek and lip A l ttest it we l . I cross the floor, Slouchingly stand t o mix once more ’ - With lunch time s hasty fellowship , -b - of- And scan the sign oard bill fare . t Clerks crunch a roll or w o . Pimpled salesmen spread on Raw mustard their b read . b Small tradesmen, with a owl or two Of milk and crackers floating, - Scan scare heads black and gloating . An d guttural foreign v oices Dispute ’ mid other noises A dozen fruitless themes . Meanwhile his b ow Apollo poises Loosing swift- gleami ng dreams Pellu cid p ea cock -colore d ripples T h e plangen t su n light s t rik es along [ 6 ] THE B URGLAR OF THE ZOD IAC T hej asmine of A rabian n ight s S t eals roun d you from t h e dusk hareem. ’ S har e r t han H aroun s S amsamah p , S w rd t h e cali h L v e can erce ; o of p , o pi ’ le ard s black and ld m re erce N o op go o fi , N o st eed of all A rab ia M e swi t !—and as t h e ezs an oat s or f , fl S ummon ing t h e faithfu l t hrough th e t hroat s O ou r st ran e criers r m t h e sk es f y g f o i , S o hav e t h e glances of you r eyes u mmoned m ul Zobiede ! S y s o , T here is no more t o sing or say! W hat all t he w ealth of camel-t rains T n kl n ac ss t h e t aw n la ns i i g ro y p i , T h e spoils of ev ery E ast ern v ine O r da n t es snared r m e t he blu e i i f o i r , T h e sk sea —wh enas ou lu t e y or , —y r Falls a a n a n t -t n ed and I ra g i f i o , p y, ’ M id am ds o olden ru t pyr i f g f i , Pome ranat es scarlet leam n t h rou h g g i g g , W it h scen t ed w in e lik e bit t er b rin e O n m arch ed l u n healed o u rs y p ip s f yo , C an on ly p ray my st rengt h en du res T o sla m l v e Z obiede ! y y o , v ! By Hea en, that headline looks like war To send him to the chair at daw n .

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