The Oxford Book of Canadian Verse
A Summer StormDuncan Campbell Scott (18621947)
L
From height of drouth and heat,
The surly clouds for weeks were furled,
The air could only sway and beat,
The hawks fell twanging from the sky,
The west unrolled a feathery wind,
And the night fell sullenly.
Like the shadow of doom,
The poignard lightning searched the air,
The thunder ripped the shattered gloom,
Full-voiced and clamorous and deep,
The weary world had its heart’s desire,
And fell asleep.
The clouds are sailing by;
Clearly, oh! so clearly,
The distant mountains lie.
The clouds obey his will,
They part and part and onward go,
Travelling together still.
On a morning that ’s so fair,
For nothing seems to stir or strive
In the unconscious air.
Ringing so wild and free;
Only one bird has a blither mood—
The whitethroat on the tree.