< Page:Rudyard Kipling's verse - Inclusive Edition 1885-1918.djvu
This page needs to be proofread.
94
RUDYARD KIPLING'S VERSE

Across the high hills and the sea
  And all the changeful skies,
The Four Winds blow the smoke to me
  Till the tears are in my eyes.

Until the tears are in my eyes.
  And my heart is wellnigh broke
For thinking on old memories
  That gather in the smoke.

With every shift of every wind
  The homesick memories come,
From every quarter of mankind
  Where I have made me a home.

Four times a fire against the cold
  And a roof against the rain—
Sorrow fourfold and joy fourfold
  The Four Winds bring again!

How can I answer which is best
  Of all the fires that burn?
I have been too often host or guest
  At every fire in turn.

How can I turn from any fire,
  On any man's hearthstone?
I know the wonder and desire
  That went to build my own!

How can I doubt man's joy or woe
  Where'er his house-fires shine.
Since all that man must undergo
  Will visit me at mine?

    This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.