Night Watch
Since the year fourteen five,
In a little Swiss town,*
There’s a job that will earn
All who do it renown.
From the top of the church
(A cathedral, no less)
Someone calls out the time
In a formal address.
Once an hour, this guard,
Called a “night watch” will yell
Just as soon as the sound
Fades away from the bell.
With a lantern held high
He will scour the land
Making sure that no fire
Or crime is at hand.
This employment has been,
Since the year it began,
Meant for all who applied,
Meaning any loud man.
But a change has occurred
And, ignoring the past,
Now a woman’s been named
As the “night watch” at last.
Up the one hundred fifty-three
Steps she will climb
Where she’ll do what she can
To make up for lost time.
*Lausanne
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