Eleanor, 09-July 7 Carcassonne

July 7

CARCASSONNE

More rocks and trees and changing sky,
More mountains crowned with snow.
More gushing torrents tumbling by,
More fields where silk-plants grow.
(On, ride on to Carcassonne)

More roads that ever upward trend,
In steady zig-zag climb.
More thrilling sights 'round every bend,
These visions filled our time.
(On, ride on to Carcassonne)

The driver had a friendly smile,
And sparkling eyes of brown.
I liked him better mile on mile,
Town after fading town.
(On, ride on to Carcassonne)

Sometimes we were too cold to speak,
And it began to rain.
We ate our lunch upon a peak
That looked across to Spain.
(On, ride on to Carcassonne)

When dusk came down we said adieu,
To him we liked so well.
And all our panoramic views,
And stopped at the Hotel.
(On, ride on to Carcassonne)

July 8

MORE CARCASSONNE

Carcassonne's an ancient city founded Fifty years B. C.
When the Romans thought each
Settlement an armored fort should be.
And the ancient Roman blocks of stone still lying in their place.
Remind us Gaul was once divisa into partes tres.
But ancient walls and towers must have partly tumbled down.

When the Visigoths came in, and they built up the ruined town.
But this early architecture in its turn was getting old.
When the town again was built to form a feudal baron's hold.
Hence the double walls and drawbridges, Hence the posterns and the mote,
Hence the inquisition chambers where they hanged you by the throat.
All the buildings of the city have been wondrously restored,
You could live there for a decade without ever getting bored.