Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE VESTAL, by NATHALIA CRANE



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE VESTAL, by                    
First Line: Once a pallid vestal
Last Line: Shone above her there.


Once a pallid vestal
Doubted truth in blue
Listed red as ruin,
Harried every hue;

Barricaded vision,
Garbed herself in sighs;
Ridiculed the birth marks
Of the butterflies.

Dormant and disdainful,
Never could she see
Why the golden powder
Decorates the bee;

Why a summer pasture
Lends itself to paint;
Why love unappareled,
Still remains the saint.

Finally she faltered;
Saw at last, forsooth,
Every gaudy color
Is a bit of truth.

Then the gates were opened,
Miracles were seen;
That instructed damsel
Donned a gown of green;

Wore it in a churchyard,
All arrayed with care;
And a painted rainbow
Shone above her there.





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