Of paper, pasted neatly round,

Opened and poured. A sliding sound
Came from beneath his old white hands,

And I saw a little heap of sands,
Black and smooth. What could they be:

"Pepper," I thought. He looked at me.
"What you see is poppy seed.

Lethean dreams for those in need."
He took up the grains with a gentle hand

And sifted them slowly like hour-glass sand.
On his old white finger the almandine

Shot out its rays, incarnadine.
"Visions for those too tired to sleep.

These seeds cast a film over eyes which weep.
No single soul in the world could dwell,

Without these poppy-seeds I sell."
For a moment he played with the shining stuff,

Passing it through his fingers. Enough
At last, he poured it back into

The china jar of Holland blue,
Which he carefully carried to its place.

Then, with a smile on his aged face,
He drew up a chair to the open space

'Twixt table and chimney. "Without preface,
Young man, I will say that what you see

Is not the puzzle you take it to be."
"But surely, Sir, there is something strange

In a shop with goods at so wide a range
Each from the other, as swords and seeds.

Your neighbours must have greatly differing needs."
"My neighbours," he said, and he stroked his chin,

"Live everywhere from here to Pekin.
But you are wrong, my sort of goods

Is but one thing in all its moods."
He took a shagreen letter case

From his pocket, and with charming grace
Offered me a printed card.

I read the legend, "Ephraim Bard.
Dealer in Words." And that was all.

I stared at the letters, whimsical
Indeed, or was it merely a jest.

He answered my unasked request:
"All books are either dreams or swords,

You can cut, or you can drug, with words.
My firm is a very ancient house,

The entries on my books would rouse
Your wonder, perhaps incredulity.

I inherited from an ancestry
Stretching remotely back and far,

This business, and my clients are
As were those of my grandfather's days,

Writers of books, and poems, and plays.
My swords are tempered for every speech,

For fencing wit, or to carve a breach
Through old abuses the world condones.

In another room are my grindstones and hones,
For whetting razors and putting a point

On daggers, sometimes I even anoint
The blades with a subtle poison, so

A twofold result may follow the blow.
These are purchased by men who feel

The need of stabbing society's heel,
Which egotism has brought them to think

Is set on their necks. I have foils to pink
An adversary to quaint reply,

And I have customers who buy
Scalpels with which to dissect the brains

And hearts of men. Ultramundanes
Even demand some finer kinds

To open their own souls and minds.
But the other half of my business deals

With visions and fancies. Under seals,
Sorted, and placed in vessels here,

I keep the seeds of an atmosphere.
Each jar contains a different kind

Of poppy seed. From farthest Ind
Come the purple flowers, opium filled,

From which the weirdest myths are distilled;
My orient porcelains contain them all.

Those Lowestoft pitchers against the wall
Hold a lighter kind of bright conceit;

And those old Saxe vases, out of the heat
On that lowest shelf beside the door,

Have a sort of Ideal, "couleur d'or".
Every castle of the air

Sleeps in the fine black grains, and there
Are seeds for every romance, or light

Whiff of a dream for a summer night.
I supply to every want and taste."

'Twas slowly said, in no great haste
He seemed to push his wares, but I

Dumfounded listened. By and by
A log on the fire broke in two.

He looked up quickly, "Sir, and you?"
I groped for something I should say;

Amazement held me numb. "To-day
You sweated at a fruitless task."

He spoke for me, "What do you ask?
How can I serve you?" "My kind host,

My penniless state was not a boast;
I have no money with me." He smiled.

"Not for that money I beguiled
You here; you paid me in advance."

Again I felt as though a trance
Had dimmed my faculties. Again

He spoke, and this time to explain.
"The money I demand is Life,

Your nervous force, your joy, your strife!"
What infamous proposal now

Was made me with so calm a brow?
Bursting through my lethargy,

Indignantly I hurled the cry:
"Is this a nightmare, or am I

Drunk with some infernal wine?
I am no Faust, and what is mine

Is what I call my soul! Old Man!
Devil or Ghost! Your hellish plan

Revolts me. Let me go." "My child,"
And the old tones were very mild,

"I have no wish to barter souls;
My traffic does not ask such tolls.

I am no devil; is there one?
Surely the age of fear is gone.

We live within a daylight world
Lit by the sun, where winds unfurled

Sweep clouds to scatter pattering rain,
And then blow back the sun again.

I sell my fancies, or my swords,
To those who care far more for words,

Ideas, of which they are the sign,
Than any other life-design.

Who buy of me must simply pay
Their whole existence quite away:

Their strength, their manhood, and their prime,
Their hours from morning till the time

When evening comes on tiptoe feet,
And losing life, think it complete;

Must miss what other men count being,
To gain the gift of deeper seeing;

Must spurn all ease, all hindering love,
All which could hold or bind; must prove

The farthest boundaries of thought,
And shun no end which these have brought;

Then die in satisfaction, knowing
That what was sown was worth the sowing.

I claim for all the goods I sell
That they will serve their purpose well,

And though you perish, they will live.
Full measure for your pay I give.

To-day you worked, you thought, in vain.
What since has happened is the train

Your toiling brought. I spoke to you
For my share of the bargain, due."

"My life! And is that all you crave
In pay? What even childhood gave!

I have been dedicate from youth.
Before my God I speak the truth!"

Fatigue, excitement of the past
Few hours broke me down at last.

All day I had forgot to eat,
My nerves betrayed me, lacking meat.

I bowed my head and felt the storm
Plough shattering through my prostrate form.

The tearless sobs tore at my heart.
My host withdrew himself apart;

Busied among his crockery,
He paid no farther heed to me.

Exhausted, spent, I huddled there,
Within the arms of the old carved chair.

A long half-hour dragged away,
And then I heard a kind voice say,

"The day will soon be dawning, when
You must begin to work again.

Here are the things which you require."
By the fading light of the dying fire,

And by the guttering candle's flare,
I saw the old man standing there.

He handed me a packet, tied
With crimson tape, and sealed. "Inside

Are seeds of many differing flowers,
To occupy your utmost powers

Of storied vision, and these swords
Are the finest which my shop affords.

Go home and use them; do not spare
Yourself; let that be all your care.

Whatever you have means to buy
Be very sure I can supply."

He slowly walked to the window, flung
It open, and in the grey air rung

The sound of distant matin bells.
I took my parcels. Then, as tells

An ancient mumbling monk his beads,
I tried to thank for his courteous deeds

My strange old friend. "Nay, do not talk,"
He urged me, "you have a long walk

Before you. Good-by and Good-day!"
And gently sped upon my way

I stumbled out in the morning hush,
As down the empty street a flush

Ran level from the rising sun.
Another day was just begun.

• holland [´hɔlənd] n.荷兰 (初中英语单词)
• puzzle [´pʌzl] n.迷(惑) v.(使)迷惑 (初中英语单词)
• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)
• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)
• purple [´pə:pl] n.紫色 a.紫(红)的 (初中英语单词)
• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• romance [rəu´mæns] n.中世纪骑士小说 (初中英语单词)
• nervous [´nə:vəs] a.神经的；神经过敏的 (初中英语单词)
• traffic [´træfik] n.交通，运输 (初中英语单词)
• daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)
• existence [ig´zistəns] n.存在；生存；生活 (初中英语单词)
• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)
• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)
• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
• bargain [´bɑ:gin] n.买卖合同 v.议(价) (初中英语单词)
• childhood [´tʃaildhud] n.幼年(时代)；早期 (初中英语单词)
• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
• vision [´viʒən] n.视觉；想象力；幻影 (初中英语单词)
• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
• fencing [´fensiŋ] n.击剑；栅栏；搪塞 (高中英语单词)
• quaint [kweint] a.离奇的；奇妙的 (高中英语单词)
• orient [´ɔ:riənt] n.东方 a.东方的 (高中英语单词)
• manhood [´mænhud] n.人格；男子气概 (高中英语单词)
• dedicate [´dedikeit] vt.献给；献身于 (高中英语单词)
• withdrew [wið´dru:] withdraw的过去式 (高中英语单词)
• crimson [´krimzən] a.&n.深(紫)红(的) (高中英语单词)
• courteous [´kə:tiəs] a.有礼貌的；殷勤的 (高中英语单词)
• adversary [´ædvəsəri] n.敌手，对手 (英语四级单词)
• farthest [´fɑ:ðist] ad.&a.最远(的) (英语四级单词)
• nightmare [´naitmeə] n.梦魇；恶梦 (英语四级单词)
• tiptoe [´tiptəu] n.脚尖 vi.踮着脚走 (英语四级单词)
• prostrate [´prɔstreit, prɔ´streit] a.俯伏的 vt.弄倒 (英语四级单词)
• packet [´pækit] n.盒 vt....打成小包 (英语四级单词)
• infamous [´infəməs] a.声名狼藉的 (英语六级单词)
• infernal [in´fə:nəl] a.地狱的，恶魔似的 (英语六级单词)
• barter [´bɑ:tə] v.交换(货物) n.互换品 (英语六级单词)
• lacking [´lækiŋ] a.缺少的，没有的 (英语六级单词)
• half-hour [´hɑ:f-auə] n.&a.(每)三十分钟的 (英语六级单词)