O LIFE! what is thy quest? -- What owns this world Of stalking shadows, fleeting phantasies, Enjoyments substanceless -- to wed the mind To its still querulous, ever-faltering mate -- Or crib the pinion of the aspiring soul (Upborne ever by the mystical) To a poor nook of this sin-stricken earth, Or sterile point of time? -- The Universe, My spirit, is thy birth-right -- and thy term Of occupance, thou river, limitless -- Eternity! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ACROSS THE RED SKY by KATHERINE MANSFIELD TOM'S GARLAND: UPON THE UNEMPLOYED by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS ON A PICTURE OF LEANDER by JOHN KEATS THE LARK ASCENDING by GEORGE MEREDITH L.E.L. by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI THE SULTANA by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE CAUTIOUS HOUSEHOLDER by ANAXILAS THE IMPROVISATORE: THE INDUCTION TO THE SECOND FYTTE by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES |