Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

The Public Gardens Lyrics by Alun Lewis

0

Only a few top-heavy holly-hocks, wilting in arid beds,
Frayed lawns,
Twin sycamores storing the darkness massively under balconies of leaf,
And an empty rococo bandstand - strangely unpopular
Saturday evening in the public gardens.
But wait: These take their places:-
A thin little woman in black stockings and a straw hat with wax flowers,
Holding a varnished cane with both hands against her spent knees
As she sits alone on the bench, yes oddly
Alone and at rest:
An older wealthier lady, gesticulating and over-dressed,
Puffily reciting the liturgy of vexations
To her beautiful companion,
The remote and attractive demi-Parnassian
Whose dark hair catches the sunlight as she listens
With averted face and apparent understanding:
A boy with his crutches laid against the wall
Pale in the shadow where the hops hang over
In light green bundles; - is he, too, waiting
For one who perhaps
Prefers another?
And I, forgetting my khaki, my crude trade,
And the longing that has vexed and silenced me all the day,
Now simply consider the quiet people,
How their pattern emerges as the evening kindles
Till the park is a maze of diagonal lines, ah far
Too fine to catch the sun like the glittering webs
The spiders have folded and flung from the fading privet.
Only the children, passionately,
Snap my drifting lines with laughter
As they chase each other among the benches
In and out of the dreaming gardens.
Credits
Alun Lewis

Alun Lewis

About “The Public Gardens” by Alun Lewis

Read the complete lyrics to "The Public Gardens" by Alun Lewis. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music.

"The Public Gardens" is performed by Alun Lewis. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Public Gardens", explore more songs by Alun Lewis using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Alun Lewis · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"The Public Gardens" is credited to Alun Lewis. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "The Public Gardens" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Alun Lewis artist page at /artist/alun-lewis for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.