Saturday night - Mary Caroline Colborne-Veel

Saturday night in the crowded town; 

Pleasure and pain going up and down, 

Murmuring low on the ear their beat, 

Echoes unceasing of voice and feet. 

Withered age with its load of care 

Come in this tumult of life to share, 

Childhood glad in its radiance brief, 

Happiest-hearted or bowed with grief, 

Meet alike, as the stars look down, 

Week by week on the crowded town. 

And, in a kingdom of mystery, 

Rapt from this tearful world to see, 

Magic sights in the yellow glare, 

Breathing delight in the gaslit air, 

Careless of sorrow, of grief, or pain,

Two by two, again and again,

Strephon and Chloe together move 

Walking in Arcady, land of love.

What are the meanings that burden all 

These murmnring voices that rise and fall?

Tragedies whispered or secrets told, 

Over the baskets of bought and sold, 

Joyous speech of the lately wed: 

Broken lanientings that name the dead: 

Endless runes of the gossips rede, 

And gathered home with the weekly need, 

Kindly greetings as neighbours meet 

There in the stir of the busy street. 

There in the glare of the gaslight ray, 

Gifted with potency strange to-day, 

Records of time-written history 

Flash into light as each face goes by. 

There, as the hundreds slow moving go, 

Each with his burden of joy or woe, 

Souls in the meeting of stranger's eyes. 

Startled this kinship to recognise, — 

Meet and part, as the stars look down, 

Week by week on the crowded town. 

And still in the midst of the busy hum, 

Rapt in their dream of delight they come,

Heedless of sorrow, of grief, or care. 

Wandering on in enchanted air. 

Far from the haunting shadow of pain: 

Two by two, again and again, 

Strephon and Chloe together move. 

Walking in Arcady, land of love. 

---

Mary Caroline Colborne-Veel (1861 - 1923) New Zealand

Source: Australian poets, 1788-1888, by Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen, Cassell publishing company, 1890