The jester doffed his cap and bells
The mocking court he stood before
Could not see—the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore
My clumsy feet—still in some mire
Go crushing blossoms without end
But it is a kind-well-meaning-heart I thrust
Among the heart strings of a friend
Some ill-timed truth we might have kept
We know how sharp it pierced and stung
But the word we had not sense to say
Who knows how grandly it had rung?
(Someone … probably …)
Do you remember—heart’s desire
The night when Halloween first came?
Some wild and wonderful magical fire
My entire world in white-hot flame
How anxiously we sweated bricks
How tragic we were when nothing went right
And then the blaze un-wrapped its tricks
And filled the room with dancing light
We couldn’t speak but only gaze
In half belief what we had seen
Our hearts—our world—our golden blaze
Our love affair—our Halloween
Back then a thought occurred to me
I ran outside with sudden shout
And looked above my roof to see
My own sweet heart fire drifting out
And of all of life’s felicities
A lovely one—says I
Is when for the first time—she sees
Her heart fire dancing in the sky
Ed Sill—Fool’s Prayer and Christopher Morley—A Halloween Memory
Paraphrased
The jester doffed his cap and bells The mocking court he stood before Could not see—the bitter smile Behind the painted grin he wore
My clumsy feet—still in some mire Go crushing blossoms without end But it is a kind-well-meaning-heart I thrust Among the heart strings of a friend
Some ill-timed truth we might have kept We know how sharp it pierced and stung But the word we had not sense to say Who knows how grandly it had rung? (Someone … probably …)
Do you remember—heart’s desire The night when Halloween first came? Some wild and wonderful magical fire My entire world in white-hot flame How anxiously we sweated bricks How tragic we were when nothing went right And then the blaze un-wrapped its tricks And filled the room with dancing light We couldn’t speak but only gaze In half belief what we had seen Our hearts—our world—our golden blaze Our love affair—our Halloween
Back then a thought occurred to me I ran outside with sudden shout And looked above my roof to see My own sweet heart fire drifting out And of all of life’s felicities A lovely one—says I Is when for the first time—she sees Her heart fire dancing in the sky
Ed Sill—Fool’s Prayer and Christopher Morley—A Halloween Memory Paraphrased