The poplar is an old woman, Whose charms have been sacrificed on the altar of marriage, And whose drab garments Are whipping about her attenuated limbs. The cedar is a wise virgin, Who has not spent her passion, But has conserved her comeliness Against the winter of life, And is wrapped decently In the green mantle of discreetness. The sumac is a wanton, Flaming out her short-lived glory In a brief holocaust of love -- And bearing the blackened and withered seeds Of her unfulfilled destinies Even into the winter of her discontent! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE RAINY SEASON by CLARENCE MAJOR THE PICKET-GUARD [NOVEMBER, 1861] by ETHEL LYNN BEERS THE VISIONARY by EMILY JANE BRONTE STANZAS TO THE PO by GEORGE GORDON BYRON EPIGRAM: HERO AND LEANDER by JOHN DONNE PICTURES FROM APPLEDORE: 2 by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL |