Portrait of a Boy

    Accepting the harsh fact with no great weeping.

    How funny uncle's hat had looked striped red！

    He chuckled¹ silently. The moon came， sweeping²

    A black， frayed³ rag of tattered⁴ cloud before

    In scorning； very pure and pale she seemed，

    Flooding his bed with radiance. On the floor

    Fat motes⁵ danced. He sobbed⁶， closed his eyes and dreamed.

    Warm sand flowed round him. Blurts⁷ of crimson⁸ light

    Splashed the white grains like blood. Past the cave's mouth

    Shone with a large， fierce splendor⁹， wildly bright，

    The crooked¹⁰ constellations¹¹ of the South；

    Here the Cross swung； and there， affronting¹² Mars，

    The Centaur¹³ stormed aside a froth of stars.

    Within， great casks， like wattled aldermen，

    Sighed of enormous feasts， and cloth of gold

    Glowed on the walls like hot desire. Again，

    Beside webbed purples from some galleon's hold，

    A black chest bore the skull¹⁴ and bones in white

    Above a scrawled¹⁵ "Gunpowder¹⁶！" By the flames，

    Decked out in crimson， gemmed¹⁷ with syenite，

    Hailing their fellows with outrageous¹⁸ names，

    The pirates sat and diced¹⁹. Their eyes were moons.

    "Doubloons！" they said. The words crashed gold. "Doubloons！"