POEMS OLD AND NEW
STAR TALK
" ARE you awake, Gemelli,
This frosty 'night? "
" We'll be awake till reveille,
Which is Sunrise," say the Gemelli,
" It's no good trying to go to sleep :
If there's wine to be got we'll drink it deep,
But rest is hopeless to-night,
But rest is hopeless to-night."
" Are you cold too, poor Pleiads,
This frosty night ? " 10
66 Yes, and so are the Hyads :
See us cuddle and hug," say the Pleiads,
" All six in a ring : it keeps us warm :
We huddle together like birds in a storm :
It's bitter weather to-night,
It's bitter weather to-night."
" What do you hunt, Orion,
This starry night ? "
" The Ram, the Bull and the Lion,
And the Great Bear," says Orion, ao
" With my starry quiver and beautiful belt
I am trying to find a good thick pelt
To warm my shoulders to-night,
To warm my shoulders to-night."
" Did you hear that. Great She-bear,
This frosty night ? "
" Yes, he's talking of stripping me bare
Of my own big fur," says the She-bear.
" I'm afraid of the man and his terrible arrow :
The thought of it chills my bones to the marrow,
And the frost so cruel to-night ! 31
And the frost so cruel to-night ! "
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