|
|
Classic and Contemporary Poetry
A BALLADE OF GREEN FIELDS; FOR F.W.M., by AUSTIN PHILIPS First Line: Beyond the compass of our sight Last Line: For distant fields are always green. Subject(s): Fields; Imagination; Pastures; Meadows; Leas; Fancy | |||
BEYOND the compass of our sight A land there is of pleasant guise, Whose pastures, rich in sun and light, Hold and allure our aching eyes: No mists obscure its cloudless skies, And no dream unfulfilled is seen, And all things live and no thing dies ... For distant fields are always green. There all things range themselves aright, The shameless sink, the virtuous rise, The well-deserving gain their fight, The hero wins in gallant wise, The liar has to eat his lies, The lover woos and weds his queen, And who deserves shall have the prize ... For distant fields are always green. We, even we—who know that might Is right, and how that Fate denies What Hope holds out, in Hope's despite, And how the elusive guerdon flies Before us ever and defies Our weary grasp—have we not been The first, the last, to send our sighs ...? For distant fields are always green. Envoi Princess, the world is grey and night Comes on us quickly; yet the sheen Of old illusion glimmers bright ... For distant fields are always green. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE IMAGINED COPPERHEAD by ANDREW HUDGINS A SICK CHILD by RANDALL JARRELL IMAGINARY TROUBLE by JOHN KENDRICK BANGS EVERYTHING THAT ACTS IS ACTUAL by DENISE LEVERTOV ON THE MEETING OF GARCIA LORCA AND HART CRANE by PHILIP LEVINE A FIG FOR TRADE by AUSTIN PHILIPS |
| |