Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE MAKING OF MAN, by JOHN WHITE CHADWICK


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE MAKING OF MAN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: As the insect from the rock
Last Line: Friendlier than the smiling days.
Subject(s): Mankind; Time; Human Race


As the insect from the rock
Takes the color of its wing;
As the boulder from the shock
Of the ocean's rhythmic swing
Makes itself a perfect form,
Learns a calmer front to raise;
As the shell, enamelled warm
With the prism's mystic rays,
Praises wind and wave that make
All its chambers fair and strong;
As the mighty poets take
Grief and pain to build their song:
Even so for every soul,
Whatsoe'er its lot may be, --
Building, as the heavens roll,
Something large and strong and free, --
Things that hurt and things that mar
Shape the man for perfect praise;
Shock and strain and ruin are
Friendlier than the smiling days.




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