A Woman of Thirty   By: Marjorie Allen Seiffert (1885-1970)

Marjorie Allen Seiffert

New York

1919

To O.H.S.

CONTENTS

I. The Old Woman

A Morality Play

II. Love Poems in Summer

Singalese Love Songs I V The Silent Pool Nocturne Theme Arranged for Organ I III The Moonlight Sonata Possession Evening: the Taj Mahal The Gift The Bridge A Temple I VII Candles Winter Night Last Days I V Sorrow Prison The Dream House

III. Studies and Designs

Design for a Japanese Vase The Bow Moon (A Print by Hirosage) An Italian Chest The Pedlar Portrait of a Lady in Bed I V Portrait of a Gentleman From the Madison Street Police Station La Felice The Journey The Last Illusion The Desert The Picnic

IV. Interlude

Mountain Trails I VII October Morning October Afternoon Maternity The Father Speaks To Allen To Helen The Immortal To an Absent Child I IV Summer Night Maura I VI November Dusk Winter Valley I IV

V. Love Poems in Autumn

Ballad The Pathway of Black Leaves I IV Elegy Sequence I X Disillusion November Afternoon Yareth at Solomon's Tomb Argolis St. Faith's Eve

Poems of Elijah Hay

The Golden Stag To Anne Knish Lolita Spectrum of Mrs. Q Epitaph A Sixpence Three Spectra Two Commentaries A Womanly Woman Lolita Now is Old The Shining Bird The King Sends Three Cats to Guinevere Ode in the New Mode Night

I. The Old Woman (A Morality Play)

The Old Woman (A Morality Play)

Characters: The Woman The House The Doctor The Deacon The Landlady

Doctor: There is an old woman Who ought to die

Deacon: And nobody knows But what she's dead

Doctor: The air will be cleaner When she's gone

Deacon: But we dare not bury her Till she's dead

Landlady: Come, young doctor From the first floor front, Come, dusty deacon, From the fourth floor back, You take her heels And I'll take her head

Doctor and Deacon: We'll carry her And bury her If she's dead!

House: They roll her up In her old, red quilt, They carry her down At a horizontal tilt, She doesn't say "Yes" And she doesn't say "No," She doesn't say, "Gentlemen, Where do we go?"

Doctor: Out in the lot Where ash cans die, There, old woman, There shall you lie!

Deacon: Let's hurry away And never look behind To see if her eyes Are dead and blind, To see if the quilt Lies over her face Perhaps she'll groan Or move in her place!

House: The room is empty Where the old woman lay, And I no longer Smell like a tomb

Landlady: Doctor, deacon, Can you say Who'll pay rent For the old woman's room?

House: The room is empty Down the hall, There are mice in the closet, Ghosts in the wall A pretty little lady Comes to see

Woman: Oh, what a dark room, Not for me!

Landlady: The room is large And the rent is low, There's a deacon above And a doctor below

Deacon: When the little mice squeak I shall pray

Doctor: I'll psycho analyse The ghosts away

Landlady: The bed is large And the mattress deep, Wrapped in a feather bed You shall sleep

Woman: But here's the door Without a key! An unlocked room Won't do for me!

Doctor: Here's a bolt

Deacon: And here's a bar

Landlady: You'll sleep soundly Where you are!

Woman: Good night, gentlemen, It's growing late, Good night, landlady, Pray don't wait! I'm going to bed, I'll bolt the door And sleep more soundly Than ever before!

Deacon: Good night, madam, I'll steal away

Doctor: Glad a pretty lady Has come to stay!