Hallowe’en by A. F. Murray

(First appeared in Harper’s Weekly)

A gypsy flame is on the hearth,
Sign of this carnival of mirth.
Through the dun fields and from the glade
Flash merry folk in masquerade
It is the witching Hallowe’en.

Pale tapers glimmer in the sky,
The dead and dying leaves go by;
Dimly across the faded green
Strange shadows, stranger shades, are seen
It is the mystic Hallowe’en.

Soft gusts of love and memory
Beat at the heart reproachfully;
The lights that burn for those who die
Were flickering low, let them flare high
It is the haunting Hallowe’en.