I saw the brown deer feeding,
Dappled like adder's-tongue,
And quietly were they leading
Their nimble-footed young;

By some enchantment herded
Among the bamboo trees,
Whose stems with light are girded
In flickering fantasies.

And as I stood there gazing,
In sunlight and in shade,
They raised small heads from grazing,
With soft eyes unafraid.

I could not pull my golden dart
Out of its broidered case.
It seemed as if my very heart
Were silent in its place.