Aloof as aged kings, Wearing like them the purple, The mountains ring the mesa Crowned with a dusky light; Many a time I watched That coming-on of darkness Till stars burned through the heavens Intolerably bright. It was not long I lived there But I became a woman Under those vehement stars, For it was there I heard For the first time my spirit Forging an iron rule for me, As though with slow cold hammers Beating out word by word: "Only yourself can heal you, Only yourself can lead you, The road is heavy going And ends where no man knows; Take love when love is given, But never think to find it A sure escape from sorrow Or a complete repose." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CHAMBER MUSIC: 34 by JAMES JOYCE PARAGRAPHS: 16 by HAYDEN CARRUTH WHERE? by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON NOTHING WILL CURE THE SICK LION BUT TO EAT AN APE' by MARIANNE MOORE A LETTER TO A POLICEMAN IN KANSAS CITY by KENNETH PATCHEN |