Crawling up the hillside, Swinging round the bay,With a ceaseless humming Ply the trams all day.
When it"s dark I linger
Just to see the sight; All those jewelled beetlesFlashing through the night!
Anything more lovely I have never seen
Than the sparks above them, White and blue and green;Sometimes they are tiny: In a storm they shine,Dragons" tongues that follow
All along the line!
When the wind has fallen,
And the bay"s like glass,
Would you see some magic?
Watch what comes to pass:
There is just a ripple Where the water breaks,All the lamps reflected
Show like golden snakes:
Wait, the tram is coming Round the curving shore,And its humming changes To a hollow roar:
There"s a flaming glory
On the bay at last,
Red and green and orange- It has come, and passed.
Nothing breaks the stillness, All is as before,And the golden serpents Quiver near the shore....
Trams are only ugly Passing day by day,
But at night their crudeness Vanishes away.
Some kind magic clothes them In a fairer dress,So that we may wonder At their loveliness!
- Dorothea Mackellar
Author.-Miss Dorothea Mackellar, an Australian writer, was born and lives at Sydney. Her published books of verse include The Closed Door, The Witch Maid, and Fancy Dress. "Magic" is from the first- named book. Miss Mackellar"s novels are Outlaw"s Luck (a novel of the Argentine) and two books written in collaboration with Miss Ruth Bedford-The Little Blue Devil and Two"s Company.
General Notes.-Can you guess the name of the town in which the writer saw this wonderful change? Which verse do you like best? What other light makes everyday things beautiful? Do you know a poem that tells of this change?