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Part of I Have Been Through the Gates, typed manuscript and proof with Mew's corrections, undated

Text

(

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE GATES I

heart,

His
-

'

I sawit

I remember

to me, was a place of palaces

and pinnacles and shining
towers;

then as we see things in dreams, I d.o not remember how long
I slept;
the trees and the high, white walls, and how the sun was
always on the towers;

The walls are standing to-day, and the gates: I have been through the
gates, I have groped, I have crept .
Back, back -

There is dust in the streets and blood; they are empty
and darkness is over them;
'

His heart is a place with the lights gone out, forsaken by great winds
and the heavenly rain, unclean and unswept,
Like the heart of the holy
city old,

blind, beautiful Jerusalem,

CHARLOTTE MEW.

,,

\

I
I

I Have Been Through the Gates

His

heart, to me, was a place of palaces and pinnacles and
shining towers,
I saw it then as we see things in dreams, I do not remember how
long I slept ;
I remember the trees and the high, white walls , and how the sun
was always on thc towers ;
The walls are standing to-day, and the gates : I have been
through the gates, I have groped , I have crept
Back, back- - . There is dust in the streets and blood ; they
are empty
darkness is over them;
His heart is a place with the lights gone out, forsaken by great
winds and the heavenly rain, unclean and unswept,
Like the heart of the holy city , old, blind, beautiful Jerusalem,
over
which Christwept.

.

ft y

II

Nicholas Hall

WELL

, who are you ? And how did you com e there ?
I must have nodded, drowsing in my chair,
Although I couldhave sworn I hadn't slept
Or even winked an eyelid, but had kept
My eyes set· steadily upon the glow,
Dreaming of fires burnt out so long ago
Ay, long ago! But you , when did you come?
Why do you stand there smiling, keeping mum ?
I felt no draught blow from the opening door,
And heard no footstep on the sanded floor.
Why don't you speak, young man ?- for you are young,
That much I see--and surely you've a tongue ?
And young men should be civil to old men.
What, you won't answer ? Please to leave me , then ,
To my own hearthside: please to go away.
You'll be an old man, too, yourself some day ; And you'll be sorry then, you will, my son,
To think you stood there grinning , making fun
Of an old man's afflictions, an old man
Who once was young, too, when the quick blood ran
But who you are, I can't make out at all.
Why do you cast no shadow on the wall
When the high chair you lean upon throws back
A shadow on the whitewash sharp and . black?
There's something half-familiar, now the flame
Lights up your face- something that when you came
Was passing through my mind . . I. can't recall .
Ah God, what's happening to Nicholas Hall
When he can see his young self standing there
Mocking
his own self huddled in a chair ?

4

Reproductions from the Charlotte Mew Digital Collection are provided courtesy of the
University at Buffalo Libraries.

Preferred Citation:
[Title], Digital Collections - University at Buffalo Libraries, accessed [date accessed], [URL].