Poem by Alan Seeger

Sonnet 4. If I was drawn here from a distant place

        To . . . in church

If I was drawn here from a distant place,
'Twas not to pray nor hear our friend's address,
But, gazing once more on your winsome face,
To worship there Ideal Loveliness.
On that pure shrine that has too long ignored
The gifts that once I brought so frequently
I lay this votive offering, to record
How sweet your quiet beauty seemed to me.
Enchanting girl, my faith is not a thing
By futile prayers and vapid psalm-singing
To vent in crowded nave and public pew.
My creed is simple:  that the world is fair,
And beauty the best thing to worship there,
And I confess it by adoring you.

1. On a Theme in the Greek Anthology
2. Thirty Sonnets. 27. Oneata
3. Thirty Sonnets. 24. Coucy
4. Thirty Sonnets. 26. The Old Lowe House, Staten Island
5. The Bayadere

Print

1712 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version