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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE ANGEL IN THE HOUSE: BOOK 1. CANTO 8. PRELUDE: THE REVELATION by COVENTRY KERSEY DIGHTON PATMORE

Poet Analysis

First Line: AN IDLE POET, HERE AND THERE
Last Line: IS ALL THE LIGHT OF ALL THEIR DAY.

An idle poet, here and there,
Looks round him; but, for all the rest,
The world, unfathomably fair,
Is duller than a witling's jest.
Love wakes men, once a lifetime each;
They lift their heavy lids, and look;
And, lo, what one sweet page can teach,
They read with joy, then shut the book.
And some give thanks, and some blaspheme,
And most forget; but, either way,
That and the Child's unheeded dream
Is all the light of all their day.



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