Classic Poem

I stood in a meadow,
—And all I could see
Was the green valley
—Surrounding me

Then the setting sun
—Burned a ghastly red:
Blood of young men
—Too soon dead.

A tawny lizard
—Crawled near my feet:
I visioned women
—Alone, deplete.

And now and then
—A fledgling cried,
Like destitute folk
—On the wayside.

When I beheld
—The tallest tree,
My soul expanded
—Inside of me.

I wished, as I viewed
—The greenest pit,
To bury ugliness
—In it.

The hills were rich
—With buds impearled.
The valley seemed
—To engulf the world.

I stood in the meadow,
—And all I could see
Was that green valley
—Surrounding me.