The shapes arise!
The shape measur’d, saw’d, jack’d, join’d, stain’d,
- The coffin-shape for the dead to lie within in his shroud,
- The shape got out in posts, in the bedstead posts, in the posts of the bride’s bed,
- The shape of the little trough, the shape of the rockers beneath, the shape of the babe’s cradle,
- The shape of the floor-planks, the floor-planks for dancers’ feet,
- The shape of the planks of the family home, the home of the friendly parents and children,
- The shape of the roof of the home of the happy young man and woman, the roof over the well-married young man and woman,
- The roof over the supper joyously cook’d by the chaste wife, and joyously eaten by the chaste husband, content after his day’s work.
The shapes arise!
- The shape of the prisoner’s place in the court-room, and of him or her seated in the place,
- The shape of the liquor-bar lean’d against by the young rum-drinker and the old rum-drinker,
- The shape of the shamed and angry stairs trod by sneaking footsteps,
- The shape of the sly settee, and the adulterous unwholesome couple,
- The shape of the gambling-board with its devilish winnings and losings,
- The shape of the step-ladder for the convicted and sentenced murderer, the murderer with haggard face and pinion’d arms,
- The sheriff at hand with his deputies, the silent and white-lipp’d crowd, the dangling of the rope.
The shapes arise!
- Shapes of doors giving many exits and entrances,
- The door passing the dissever’d friend flush’d and in haste,
- The door that admits good news and bad news,
- The door whence the son left home confident and puff’d up,
- The door he enter’d again from a long and scandalous absence, diseas’d, broken down, without innocence, without means.