WHEN THE SNOW CAME 



Ropes of pearl and festoons of diamonds 

 weighed the more slender almost to earth. 

 The soft white shoulders of the birches 

 drooped low in bewildering curtsey, and 

 to the fiddling of a little morning wind 

 the ball began with a tinkling of gem on 

 gem, a stabbing of scintillant azure, so 

 that I was fain to shut my eyes with the 

 splendor of it. 



Then came the prince himself to dance 

 with them, the morning sun, flashing his 

 gold emblazonry through their gems till 

 the corruscation drowned the sight in an 

 outpouring of fire. The princesses all 

 began to speak as he came among them, 

 a speech wherein dropped from their lips 

 all jewels and precious stones. Sun- 

 bursts of diamonds fell from dainty 

 young pines and ropes of pearls slid from 

 the coral lips of slender birches. The 

 babble fell all about their feet in such 

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