Poem by Madison Julius Cawein

An Anemone

"Teach me the wisdom of thy beauty, pray,
    That, being thus wise, I may aspire to see
What beauty is, whence, why, and in what way
    Immortal, yet how mortal utterly:
For, shrinking loveliness, thy brow of day
    Pleads plaintive as a prayer, anemone.

"Teach me wood-wisdom, I am petulant:
    Thou hast the wildness of a Dryad's eyes,
The shyness of an Oread's, wild plant: -
    Behold the bashful goddess where she lies
Distinctly delicate! - inhabitant
    Ambrosial-earthed, star-cousin of the skies.

"Teach me thy wisdom, for, thro' knowing, yet,
    When I have drunk dull Lethe till each vein
Thuds full oblivion, I shall not forget; -
    For beauty known is beauty; to sustain
Glad memories with life, while mad regret
    And sorrow perish, being Lethe slain."

"Teach thee my beauty being beautiful
    And beauty wise? - My slight perfections, whole
As world, as man, in their creation full
    As old a Power's cogitation roll.
Teach thee? - Presumption! thought is young and dull -
    Question thy God what God is, soul what soul."

1. In the Mountains
2. The Iron Cross
3. Above the Vales
4. Communicants
5. Gertrude

Print

1230 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version