Now is old Cathay a broken bowl; Its curves of riven porcelain Are curling like loose petals Of a shattered lotus bloom; Its patterns are destroyed; The five-toed dragon, Sundered vertebrae and claw, Lies scattered in the broken glaze; The five glad bats are routed And all the studied beauty Is a useless offering To the gods of time and war. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WINTER SONG by LUDWIG HENRICH CHRISTOPH HOLTY THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS by RUDYARD KIPLING JOHN CHARLES FREMONT by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER ON A YOUNG BRIDE DROWNED IN THE BOSPHORUS by AGATHIAS SCHOLASTICUS FRIAR JEROME'S BEAUTIFUL BOOK; A.D. 1200 by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE COMBAT, BETWEENE CONSCIENCE AND COVETOUSNESSE by RICHARD BARNFIELD DRAB BONNETS by BERNARD BARTON THE WANDERER: 2. IN FRANCE: AU CAFE *** by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON |