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Ears in the turrets hear Hands grumble on the door, Eyes in the gables see The fingers at the locks. Shall I unbolt or stay Alone till the day I die Unseen by stranger-eyes In this white house? Hands, hold you poison or grapes? Beyond this island bound By a thin sea of flesh And a bone coast, The land lies out of sound And the hills out of mind. No birds or flying fish Disturbs this island’s rest. Ears in this island hear The wind pass like a fire, Eyes in this island see Ships anchor off the bay. Shall I run to the ships With the wind in my hair, Or stay till the day I die And welcome no sailor? Ships, hold you poison or grapes? Hands grumble on the door, Ships anchor off the bay, Rain beats the sand and slates. Shall I let in the stranger, Shall I welcome the sailor, Or stay till the day I die? Hands of the stranger and holds of the ships, Hold you poison or grapes?
Dylan Thomas’s other poems:
