O me! O life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew'd, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring -- What good amid these, O me, O life? ANSWER That you are here -- that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WHEN I AM DEAD by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON JULY IN GEORGY by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE SONG OF THE SHEPHERDS by EDWIN MARKHAM SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: RICHARD BONE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS CHARLES CARVILLE'S EYES by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON TWILIGHT SONG by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON THE TOWER OF SKULLS by ISAAC ROSENBERG |