On The Plains

ALONE with the silence, the sun and sky, Full length on the tussocky plain I lie: An ocean of yellow from east to west Still rolling and sweeping, far crest on crest; And billow on billow the tussocks bend Until in one shimmering haze they blend; Where, under the distance, the heat and noon, The plains in an ecstasy thrilling, swoon And melt in the yellow-tinged, sombre air, Like perfume from roses on evenings rare. Where the sky and the misty horizon meet The flax-bushes float, like a far-off fleet; As slowly they swim, with no spray nor splash, Their green sails swell, and their brown oars flash; So, lost in two oceans—of plain and sky— Full length on the tussocks alone I lie.