The Night Mail

Red dust rises from the ground, And mixes with the indigo night sky. It covers the stars, it covers the moon, In a haze of clouds that blinds the eye. In the distance, you can see black fields, And trees moving in the silvern moonlight. There’s a grunt, there’s a rattle, A rumble, mumble, then a hoot. It’s loud as an elephant, shrill like a knell, And soon there’s a row of lights pass beyond the dell. The paddies shake, the chrysanthemums stir, The china roses stoop low in the sudden whiff of air. I know it’s the night carriage, That takes mail to Austendin. It blazes by like a serpent on fire, And leaves the calm world behind in its black night attire.

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