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Poem by Louis MacNiece...What is it called?

I cannot for the life of me remember the name a a beautiful poem by Mac Niece about visiting the ballet....does anybody know what it's called??

4 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Is this the one you're looking for? It's lovely.

    Les Sylphides

    by Louis MacNiece

    Life in a day: he took his girl to the ballet;

    Being shortsighted himself could hardly see it--

    The white skirts in the grey

    Glade and the swell of the music

    Lifting the white sails.

    Calyx upon calyx, canterbury bells in the breeze

    The flowers on the left mirror to the flowers on the right

    And the naked arms above

    The powdered faces moving

    Like seaweed in a pool.

    Now, he thought, we are floating--ageless, oarless-

    Now there is no separation, from now on

    You will be wearing white

    Satin and a red sash

    Under the waltzing trees.

    But the music stopped, the dancers took their curtain,

    The river had come to a lock--a shuffle of programmes--

    And we cannot continue down

    Stream unless we are ready

    To enter the lock and drop.

    So they were married--to be the more together--

    And found they were never again so much together,

    Divided by the morning tea,

    By the evening paper,

    By children and tradesmen's bills.

    Waking at times in the night she found assurance

    In his regular breathing but wondered whether

    It was really worth it and where

    The river had flowed away

    And where were the white flowers.

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    6 years ago

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  • 1 decade ago

    I think the title is "Les Sylphides". I haven't been able to track it down, but the concluding lines are: “So they were married-to be the more together- And found they were never again so much together, Divided by the morning tea, By the evening paper, By children and tradesmen's bills”. I hope this may help you find it.

  • 1 decade ago

    Visiting the ballet, by Macniece....

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