Who extols a wilderness? Who hath praised indifference? Foolish one, thy words are sweet, But devoid of sense. As the man who ne'er hath seen, Or as he who cannot hear, Is the heart that hath no part In Love's hope and fear. True, the blind do not perceive The unsightly things around; True, the deaf man trembleth not At an awful sound. But the face of Heaven and Earth, And the murmur of the main, Surely are a recompense For a little pain. So, tho' Love may not be free Always from a taint of grief, If its sting is very sharp, Great is its relief. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BIRTHDAY POEM FOR THOMAS HARDY by CECIL DAY LEWIS ON THE PROPOSAL TO ERECT A MONUMENT IN ENGLAND TO LORD BYRON by EMMA LAZARUS THE BLACK MONKEY by KATHERINE MANSFIELD YOU ARE FIRE EATERS by MARIANNE MOORE HOMAGE TO SEXTUS PROPERTIUS: 12 by EZRA POUND THEY PRAISE THE SUN by JOHN CROWE RANSOM |