Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A COMMON INFERENCE, by CHARLOTTE PERKINS STETSON GILMAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A COMMON INFERENCE, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: A night: mysterious, tender, quiet, deep
Last Line: "there is no god!"
Alternate Author Name(s): Stetson, Charlotte Perkins


A NIGHT: mysterious, tender, quiet, deep;
Heavy with flowers; full of life asleep;
Thrilling with insect voices; thick with stars;
No cloud between the dewdrops and red Mars;
The small earth whirling softly on her way,
The moonbeams and the waterfalls at play;
A million million worlds that move in peace,
A million mighty laws that never cease;
And one small ant-heap, hidden by small weeds,
Rich with eggs, slaves, and store of millet seeds.
They sleep beneath the sod
And trust in God.

A day: all glorious, royal, blazing bright;
Heavy with flowers; full of life and light;
Great fields of corn and sunshine; courteous trees;
Snow-sainted mountains; earth-embracing seas;
Wide golden deserts; slender silver streams;
Clear rainbows where the tossing fountain gleams;
And everywhere, in happiness and peace,
A million forms of life that never cease;
And one small ant-heap, crushed by passing tread,
Hath scarce enough alive to mourn the dead!
They shriek beneath the sod,
"There is no God!"





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