Where is Antioch, brother?
“Ten miles on and on;
Ere you reach the city’s gates
Sunlight will be gone.
“Ten miles of dust and a hot sun
To lash your head and back.
The man who comes from Antioch
Has found a better track.”
I wandered down the road
Fearful of earth and sky;
It seemed as if the lagging fields
Would never pass me by.
And then I asked a maid;
“How far is Antioch, lass?”
She said, “Nine miles of clear, blue sky,
And nine of waving grass;
“Nine miles to walk with wind
Blown hither from the sea;
Nine miles to watch the red-plumed birds
Flame in the dark-plumed tree.”
Oh, then the fields went by
With swift and lovely feet;
And I was soon in Antioch
And laughing down a street.
