Poem by Thomas Hardy

At the Piano

A woman was playing,
A man looking on;
And the mould of her face,
And her neck, and her hair,
Which the rays fell upon
Of the two candles there,
Sent him mentally straying
In some fancy-place
Where pain had no trace.

A cowled Apparition
Came pushing between;
And her notes seemed to sigh;
And the lights to burn pale,
As a spell numbed the scene.
But the maid saw no bale,
And the man no monition;
And Time laughed awry,
And the Phantom hid nigh.

1. The Chimes Play ‘Life’s a Bumper!’
2. The Pat of Butter
3. The Paphian Ball
4. After the Death of a Friend
5. Her Reproach

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