(a trifle)

To a friend

The people of the twilit isle
Are joyful, but they never smile;
Are warlike though they do not fight,
Are lovely though they do not know it;
They swim because they cannot walk,
They sing because they cannot talk;
They drink because they’ve never heard
Of roasted pig or roasted bird.
And if you met them in some purple lane,
They would not barter with you nor exchange
News for news, for they have never heard
Of clocks or calendars or time.
The people of the twilit isle
Remember little but are not senile;
They are not young and yet they do not age,
And they write books but have not read a page.
And if you met them in some purple lane,
You would forget just when you thought them strange.