Geoffrey Molyneux Palmer (1882-1957)

James Joyce (1882-1941)

Chamber Music

I

Strings in the earth and air     
	Make music sweet;            
Strings by the river where       
	The willows meet.            

There's music along the river    
	For Love wanders there,      
Pale flowers on his mantle,      
	Dark leaves on his hair.     

All softly playing,              
	With head to the music bent, 
And fingers straying             
	Upon an instrument.          

II

The twilight turns from amethyst          
	To deep and deeper blue,              
The lamp fills with a pale green glow     
	The trees of the avenue.              

The old piano plays an air,               
	Sedate and slow and gay;              
She bends upon the yellow keys,           
	Her head inclines this way.           

Shy thought and grave wide eyes and hands 
	That wander as they list - - -        
The twilight turns to darker blue         
	With lights of amethyst.              

III

At that hour when all things have repose,      
	O lonely watcher of the skies,             
	Do you hear the night wind and the sighs   
Of harps playing unto Love to unclose          
	The pale gates of sunrise?                 

When all things repose, do you alone           
	Awake to hear the sweet harps play         
	To Love before him on his way,             
And the night wind answering in antiphon       
	Till night is overgone?                    

Play on, invisible harps, unto Love,           
	Whose way in heaven is aglow               
	At that hour when soft lights come and go, 
Soft sweet music in the air above              
	And in the earth below.