Dead Born

Dead Born written by William Henry Davies

Nature Poems (1908)

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A perfect child, with hands and feet,
With heart and bones;
Which no man's hand could fashion out
Of clay or stones.

Yet this, Alas! is but cold clay;
The mortal breath
Is lacking, for this perfect child
Is born in death.

Oft have I seen its mother's joy -
A new-made wife;
And knew she fed on secret hope
For her child's life.

And now her heart breaks; she can hear
No sweet cries wild;
There needs no joyful soothing for
Her dead-born child.

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.