The Colour Stone

I found the whitest stone of the sea-shore

I threaded it upon a copper chain

I thought it white as bone before I saw

The scarlet thread that crept in like a flaw

That night I dreamed within my fevered brain

I found the whitest stone of the sea-shore

But the dream stone was stained not red but more

A silver sheen that looked like moons in rain

I thought it white as bone before I saw

The leaf green traceries that stood out sure

As moss on tombstones shows the marble's grain.

I found the whitest stone of the sea-shore

But every time I looked I saw before

My eyes a transformation and in vain

I thought it white as bone before I saw

The colours which are nameless and no more

Since old Poseidon drank Atlantis main.

I found the whitest stone of the sea-shore

I thought it white as bone before I saw.