# There were three lads who went their destined ways...

Sent in an undated letter to Howard's friend Tevis Clyde Smith. First published in The Last of the Trunk Och Brev I Urval, 2007. Tercets with variable rhymes and mixed stanzas.
There were three lads who went their destined ways  Bewildered by this thing that men call Life Toiled through the week and idled leisure days.  And cursed the world but knew the world was rife With thing of beauty. Even they could see.  They reveled in old tales of ages hoary  And plagued by souls vague reaching out for glory, But knew dim, uncertain longing to be free.
They saw, they felt but could not put in words  The things of beauty that oft met their eyes, Waving of blossoms and the flight of birds,  The tints of sun-set fading from the skies.  They dimly glimpsed the sky-kissed mountain crest  And felt chargrin of failure, dim unrest.
Blasphemous, showing their deep joy at verses, Praising an artist with deep, sulphurous curses. When their souls thrilled they knew but naught to swear  Admiring cursed at lakes by breezes kissed, "Say, look at that damned elm waving there."  And vaunt its praise with oaths that fairly hissed. They named, if chose, a demi-god a lout  Sneered at the thought that man-kind was their brother Yet they could see a pretty girl without  Licking their lips and elbowing each other. And they could see young saplings in the shade  And think of dancing girls. Could see The sapling's litheness in a tender maid.  Could revel in the winds that whisper free.
"Say, boy, you see that moon just coming up,  Throwing its banners like long, silver teeth, Say, I can think that it's some sea-king's golden cup—  Look there, white clouds above and purple hills beneath. You know old pard, I guess that I'm a fool.  But I have got a lot of thoughts in me— But what's the use? There never was a school  Could teach a fellow to write poetry. And yet it's in my soul. I'd like to tell  The things I feel and see and sometimes think Yet I can't catch and put them into ink—  My thoughts are great—my speech so barren. Hell!"
And in impotent anger, kick the sand And gesture vaguely with a toil-worn hand.
And sometimes they would put on leather gloves  And therewith deal each other manful blows,  Pausing perchance to shake a bleeding nose,  Admire a leafy bough or budding rose, Through loosened teeth quote poets songs of loves. They took delights in rough and savage games, Strong drink, and called each other scorching names. Yet they would turn aside to small a flower. Oftentimes Would sit them down and seek to make some rhymes.
Then feeling their dim soul-glories wane, morosely go To see a prize-fight or a picture show.
This work is from the United States and in the public domain because it was not legally published with the permission of the copyright holder before January 1, 2003 and the author died 88 years ago. This is a posthumous work and its copyright in certain countries and areas may depend on years since posthumous publication, rather than years since the author's death. Translations or editions published later may be copyrighted.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1936, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 87 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse