VIRGIN, afar, those snowfields tower! And who so bold to limit hope Before he there hath lain an hour, And thence surveyed each weary slope? Man's spirit has alone been there, There waits for us with welcoming eyes. Heartened by our resolve to front Life's drizzling cant and sleet of lies, He ran before us; yea, he is The flower of our daring; we Gave him that quick sure foot and itch To tackle sheer immensity. We stumble and are left behind; We toil, our strength breaks, and we die; Yet those, whose loss meant gain for him, Have let all go without a sigh. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WATERS OF BABYLON by LOUIS UNTERMEYER AT A LUNAR ECLIPSE by THOMAS HARDY THE TERRIBLE SONNETS: 3 by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS LAMENT by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY THE TRIUMPH OF LIFE by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY WINTER SLEEP by EDITH MATILDA THOMAS |