Tapestry

I saw the brown deer feeding,

Dappled like adder's-tongue,

And quietly were they leading

Their nimble-footed young;

By some enchantment herded

Among the bamboo trees,

Whose stems with light are girded

In flickering fantasies.

And as I stood there gazing,

In sunlight and in shade,

They raised small heads from grazing,

With soft eyes unafraid.

I could not pull my golden dart

Out of its broidered case.

It seemed as if my very heart

Were silent in its place.