Control by Sidney Lanier

Control by Sidney Lanier O Hunger, Hunger, I will harness thee And make thee harrow all my spirit’s glebe. Of old the blind bard Herve sang so sweet He made a wolf to plow his land. ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry […]

Clover by Sidney Lanier

Clover by Sidney Lanier Inscribed to the Memory of John Keats. Dear uplands, Chester’s favorable fields, My large unjealous Loves, many yet one — A grave good-morrow to your Graces, all, Fair tilth and fruitful seasons! Lo, how still! The midmorn empties you of men, save me; Speak to your lover, meadows! None can hear. […]

Barnacles by Sidney Lanier

Barnacles by Sidney Lanier My soul is sailing through the sea, But the Past is heavy and hindereth me. The Past hath crusted cumbrous shells That hold the flesh of cold sea-mells About my soul. The huge waves wash, the high waves roll, Each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole And hindereth me from sailing! Old […]

Baby Charley. by Sidney Lanier

Baby Charley. by Sidney Lanier He’s fast asleep. See how, O Wife, Night’s finger on the lip of life Bids whist the tongue, so prattle-rife, Of busy Baby Charley. One arm stretched backward round his head, Five little toes from out the bed Just showing, like five rosebuds red, — So slumbers Baby Charley. Heaven-lights, […]

At First. To Charlotte Cushman. by Sidney Lanier

At First. To Charlotte Cushman. by Sidney Lanier My crippled sense fares bow’d along His uncompanioned way, And wronged by death pays life with wrong And I wake by night and dream by day. And the Morning seems but fatigued Night That hath wept his visage pale, And the healthy mark ‘twixt dark and light […]

An Evening Song. by Sidney Lanier

An Evening Song. by Sidney Lanier Look off, dear Love, across the sallow sands, And mark yon meeting of the sun and sea, How long they kiss in sight of all the lands. Ah! longer, longer, we. Now in the sea’s red vintage melts the sun, As Egypt’s pearl dissolved in rosy wine, And Cleopatra […]

Acknowledgment. by Sidney Lanier

Acknowledgment. by Sidney Lanier I. O Age that half believ’st thou half believ’st, Half doubt’st the substance of thine own half doubt, And, half perceiving that thou half perceiv’st, Stand’st at thy temple door, heart in, head out! Lo! while thy heart’s within, helping the choir, Without, thine eyes range up and down the time, […]

A Sunrise Song. by Sidney Lanier

A Sunrise Song. by Sidney Lanier Young palmer sun, that to these shining sands Pourest thy pilgrim’s tale, discoursing still Thy silver passages of sacred lands, With news of Sepulchre and Dolorous Hill, Canst thou be he that, yester-sunset warm, Purple with Paynim rage and wrack desire, Dashed ravening out of a dusty lair of […]

A Song Of The Future. by Sidney Lanier

A Song Of The Future. by Sidney Lanier Sail fast, sail fast, Ark of my hopes, Ark of my dreams; Sweep lordly o’er the drowned Past, Fly glittering through the sun’s strange beams; Sail fast, sail fast. Breaths of new buds from off some drying lea With news about the Future scent the sea: My […]

A Song Of Eternity In Time by Sidney Lanier

A Song Of Eternity In Time by Sidney Lanier Once, at night, in the manor wood My Love and I long silent stood, Amazed that any heavens could Decree to part us, bitterly repining. My Love, in aimless love and grief, Reached forth and drew aside a leaf That just above us played the thief […]

A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L. by Sidney Lanier

A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L. by Sidney Lanier By Sidney and Clifford Lanier. O wish that’s vainer than the plash Of these wave-whimsies on the shore: “Give us a pearl to fill the gash — God, let our dead friend live once more!” O wish that’s stronger than the stroke Of yelling wave […]

A Florida Sunday. by Sidney Lanier

A Florida Sunday. by Sidney Lanier From cold Norse caves or buccaneer Southern seas Oft come repenting tempests here to die; Bewailing old-time wrecks and robberies, They shrive to priestly pines with many a sigh, Breathe salutary balms through lank-lock’d hair Of sick men’s heads, and soon — this world outworn — Sink into saintly […]

A Florida Ghost. by Sidney Lanier

A Florida Ghost. by Sidney Lanier Down mildest shores of milk-white sand, By cape and fair Floridian bay, Twixt billowy pines — a surf asleep on land — And the great Gulf at play, Past far-off palms that filmed to nought, Or in and out the cunning keys That laced the land like fragile patterns […]

A Dedication. To Charlotte Cushman. by Sidney Lanier

A Dedication. To Charlotte Cushman. by Sidney Lanier As Love will carve dear names upon a tree, Symbol of gravure on his heart to be, So thought I thine with loving text to set In the growth and substance of my canzonet; But, writing it, my tears begin to fall — This wild-rose stem for […]

A Birthday Song. To S. G. by Sidney Lanier

A Birthday Song. To S. G. by Sidney Lanier For ever wave, for ever float and shine Before my yearning eyes, oh! dream of mine Wherein I dreamed that time was like a vine, A creeping rose, that clomb a height of dread Out of the sea of Birth, all filled with dead, Up to […]

A Ballad Of The Trees And The Master by Sidney Lanier

A Ballad Of The Trees And The Master by Sidney Lanier Into the woods my Master went, Clean forspent, forspent. Into the woods my Master came, Forspent with love and shame. But the olives they were not blind to Him, The little gray leaves were kind to Him: The thorn-tree had a mind to Him […]

Study in Hands by Théophile Gautier

Study in Hands by Théophile Gautier I Imperia I saw a plaster hand, on view In sculptor’s studio, set apart… Aspasia’s? Cleopatra’s?… Who? This fragment’s human work of art? Like lily silvered by the dawn, Frozen in kiss of snow, its light Loveliness dazzled me, and shone In poetry of purest white. Though pallid, wan, […]

Smoke by Théophile Gautier

Smoke by Théophile Gautier Over there, trees are sheltering A hunchedback hut… A slum, no more… Roof askew, walls and wainscoting Falling away… Moss hides the door. Only one shutter, hanging… But Seeping over the windowsill, Like frosted breath, proof that this hut, This slum, is living, breathing still. Corkscrew of smoke… A wisp of […]

Last Wish by Théophile Gautier

Last Wish by Théophile Gautier A long time have I known you… Why, Full eighteen years, I must confess! All pink are you; pale, blear am I. Winters, mine; yours, spring’s comeliness! White cemetery lilacs sprout Over my temples; but soon, now, The grove entire will bloom about My head, to shade my withered brow. […]

Ye Mariners of England by Thomas Campbell

Ye Mariners of England by Thomas Campbell 1 Ye Mariners of England 2 That guard our native seas, 3 Whose flag has braved, a thousand years, 4 The battle and the breeze– 5 Your glorious standard launch again 6 To match another foe! 7 And sweep through the deep, 8 While the stormy winds do […]

To the Evening Star by Thomas Campbell

To the Evening Star by Thomas Campbell Star that bringest home the bee, And sett’st the weary labourer free! If any star shed peace, ‘tis thou, That send ‘st it from above, Appearing when Heaven’s breath and brow Are sweet as hers we love. Come to the luxuriant skies, Whilst the landscape’s odours rise, Whilst […]

The Last Man by Thomas Campbell

The Last Man by Thomas Campbell All worldly shapes shall melt in gloom, The Sun himself must die, Before this mortal shall assume Its Immortality! I saw a vision in my sleep That gave my spirit strength to sweep Adown the gulf of Time! I saw the last of human mould, That shall Creation’s death […]

The Dirge of Wallace by Thomas Campbell

The Dirge of Wallace by Thomas Campbell When Scotland’s great Regent, our warrior most dear, The debt of his nature did pay, T’ was Edward, the cruel, had reason to fear, And cause to be struck with dismay. At the window of Edward the raven did croak, Though Scotland a widow became; Each tie of […]

The Battle of the Baltic by Thomas Campbell

The Battle of the Baltic by Thomas Campbell Of Nelson and the North Sing the glorious day’s renown, When to battle fierce came forth All the might of Denmark’s crown, And her arms along the deep proudly shone; By each gun the lighted brand In a bold determined hand, And the Prince of all the […]

Song to the Evening Star by Thomas Campbell

Song to the Evening Star by Thomas Campbell 1 Star that bringest home the bee, 2 And sett’st the weary labourer free! 3 If any star shed peace, ’tis thou, 4 That send’st it from above, 5 Appearing when Heaven’s breath and brow 6 Are sweet as hers we love. 7 Come to the luxuriant […]

Ode to Winter by Thomas Campbell

Ode to Winter by Thomas Campbell When first the fiery-mantled sun His heavenly race begun to run; Round the earth and ocean blue, His children four the Seasons flew. First, in green apparel dancing, The young Spring smiled with angel grace; Rosy summer next advancing, Rushed into her sire’s embrace:- Her blue-haired sire, who bade […]

Ode to the Memory of Burns by Thomas Campbell

Ode to the Memory of Burns by Thomas Campbell Soul of the Poet ! wheresoe’er, Reclaimed from earth, thy genius plume Her wings of immortality ; Suspend thy harp in happier sphere, And with thine influence illume The gladness of our jubilee. And fly like fiends from secret spell, Discord and Strife, at Burn’s name, […]

Love And Madness by Thomas Campbell

Love And Madness by Thomas Campbell Hark ! from the battlements of yonder tower The solemn bell has tolled the midnight hour ! Roused from drear visions of distempered sleep, Poor Broderick wakes—in solitude to weep ! “Cease, Memory; cease (the friendless mourner cried) To probe the bosom too severely tried ! Oh ! ever […]

Lord Ullin’s Daughter by Thomas Campbell

Lord Ullin’s Daughter by Thomas Campbell A chieftain, to the Highlands bound, Cries, “Boatman, do not tarry! And I’ll give thee a silver pound To row us o’er the ferry!”– “Now, who be ye, would cross Lochgyle, This dark and stormy weather?” “O, I’m the chief of Ulva’s isle, And this, Lord Ullin’s daughter.– “And […]

Hohenlinden by Thomas Campbell

Hohenlinden by Thomas Campbell 1 On Linden, when the sun was low, 2 All bloodless lay the untrodden snow, 3 And dark as winter was the flow 4 Of Iser, rolling rapidly. 5 But Linden saw another sight 6 When the drum beat at dead of night, 7 Commanding fires of death to light 8 […]

Gertrude of Wyoming by Thomas Campbell

Gertrude of Wyoming by Thomas Campbell PART I On Susquehanna’s side, fair Wyoming! Although the wild-flower on thy ruin’d wall, And roofless homes, a sad remembrance bring, Of what thy gentle people did befall; Yet thou wert once the loveliest land of all That see the Atlantic wave their morn restore. Sweet land! may I […]

Freedom And Love by Thomas Campbell

Freedom And Love by Thomas Campbell How delicious is the winning Of a kiss at love’s beginning, When two mutual hearts are sighing For the knot there’s no untying! Yet remember, ‘Midst our wooing, Love has bliss, but Love has ruing; Other smiles may make you fickle, Tears for other charms may trickle. Love he […]

Benlomond by Thomas Campbell

Benlomond by Thomas Campbell Hadst thou a genius on thy peak, What tales, white-headed Ben, Could’st thou of ancient ages speak, That mock th’ historian’s pen! Thy long duration makes our livea Seem but so many hours; And likens, to the bees’ frail hives, Our most stupendous towers. Temples and towers thou seest begun, New […]

Adelgitha by Thomas Campbell

Adelgitha by Thomas Campbell The ordeal’s fatal trumpet sounded, And sad pale Adelgitha came, When forth a valiant champion bounded, And slew the slanderer of her fame. She wept, delivered from her danger; But when he knelt to claim her glove- “Seek not!” she cried, “oh, gallant stranger, For hapless Adelgitha’s love. For he is […]

On Catullus by Walter Savage Landor

On Catullus by Walter Savage Landor Tell me not what too well I know About the bard of Sirmio. Yes, in Thalia’s son Such stains there are—as when a Grace Sprinkles another’s laughing face With nectar, and runs on. ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic […]

Of Clementina by Walter Savage Landor

Of Clementina by Walter Savage Landor In Clementina’s artless mien Lucilla asks me what I see, And are the roses of sixteen Enough for me? Lucilla asks, if that be all, Have I not cull’d as sweet before: Ah yes, Lucilla! and their fall I still deplore. I now behold another scene, Where Pleasure beams […]

Corinna, from Athens, to Tanagra by Walter Savage Landor

Corinna, from Athens, to Tanagra by Walter Savage Landor Tanagra! think not I forget Thy beautifully-storey’d streets; Be sure my memory bathes yet In clear Thermodon, and yet greets The blythe and liberal shepherd boy, Whose sunny bosom swells with joy When we accept his matted rushes Upheaved with sylvan fruit; away he bounds, and […]

Ianthe! You are Call’d to Cross the Sea by Walter Savage Landor

Ianthe! You are Call’d to Cross the Sea by Walter Savage Landor Ianthe! you are call’d to cross the sea! A path forbidden me! Remember, while the Sun his blessing sheds Upon the mountain-heads, How often we have watcht him laying down His brow, and dropt our own Against each other’s, and how faint and […]

Mother, I cannot mind my Wheel by Walter Savage Landor

Mother, I cannot mind my Wheel by Walter Savage Landor MOTHER, I cannot mind my wheel; My fingers ache, my lips are dry: O, if you felt the pain I feel! But O, who ever felt as I? No longer could I doubt him true– All other men may use deceit; He always said my […]

Ianthe by Walter Savage Landor

Ianthe by Walter Savage Landor From you, Ianthe, little troubles pass Like little ripples down a sunny river; Your pleasures spring like daisies in the grass, Cut down, and up again as blithe as ever. ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster […]