French Leave

 French Leave

By Claude McKay

 

No servile little fear shall daunt my will

  This morning, I have courage steeled to say

I will be lazy, conqueringly still,

  I will not lose the hours in toil this day.

 

The roaring world without, careless of souls,

  Shall leave me to my placid dream of rest,

My four walls shield me from its shouting ghouls,

  And all its hates have fled my quiet breast.

 

And I will loll here resting, wide awake,

  Dead to the world of work, the world of love,

I laze contented just for dreaming’s sake,

  With not the slightest urge to think or move.

 

How tired unto death, how tired I was!

  Now for a day I put my burdens by,

And like a child amidst the meadow grass

  Under the southern sun, I languid lie,

 

And feel the bed about me kindly deep,

  My strength ooze gently from my hollow bones,

My worried brain drift aimlessly to sleep,

  Life soften to a song of tuneful tones.

 

 

About the Poet

 

Festus Claudius McKay was born in Sunny Ville, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, on September 15, 1889. Better known as Claude McKay, he moved to Harlem, New York, after publishing his first books of poetry, and established himself as a literary voice for social justice during the Harlem Renaissance. He is known for his novels, essays, and poems, including "If We Must Die" and "Harlem Shadows." He died on May 22, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois.

 

 

 

A "French leave" is a departure from a location or event without informing others or without seeking approval. Examples include relatively innocuous acts such as leaving a party without bidding farewell in order to avoid disturbing or upsetting the host, or more problematic acts such as a soldier leaving their post without authorization.