The Piper

A lad went piping through the Earth,
Gladly, madly, merrily,
With a tune for death and a tune for birth,
And a tune for lover's revelry.

He kissed the girls that sat alone
With none to whisper, none to woo ;
Fired at his touch their faces shone,
And beauty drenched them as the dew.

Old men who heard him danced again,
And shuffled round with catching breath,
And those that lay on beds of pain
Went dancing through the gates of death.

If only he could make us thrill
Once more with mirth and melody !
I listened, but the street was still,
And no one played for you and me.