Classic and Contemporary Poetry
BABYLON, by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES Poem Explanation Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The child alone a poet is Last Line: Weeping for lost babylon. | ||||||||
THE child alone a poet is: Spring and Fairyland are his. Truth and Reason show but dim, And all's poetry with him. Rhyme and music flow in plenty For the lad of one-and-twenty, But Spring for him is no more now Than daisies to a munching cow; Just a cheery pleasant season, Daisy buds to live at ease on. He's forgotten how he smiled And shrieked at snowdrops when a child, Or wept one evening secretly For April's glorious misery. Wisdom made him old and wary Banishing the Lords of Faery. Wisdom made a breach and battered Babylon to bits: she scattered To the hedges and ditches All our nursery gnomes and witches. Lob and Puck, poor frantic elves, Drag their treasures from the shelves. Jack the Giant-killer's gone, Mother Goose and Oberon, Bluebeard and King Solomon. Robin, and Red Riding Hood Take together to the wood, And Sir Galahad lies hid In a cave with Captain Kidd. None of all the magic hosts, None remain but a few ghosts Of timorous heart, to linger on Weeping for lost Babylon. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DEAD COW FARM by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES GOLIATH AND DAVID by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES IN THE WILDERNESS by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES IT'S A QUEER TIME by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES LOST LOVE by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES NOT DEAD by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES STAR-TALK by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES THE ASSAULT HEROIC by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES THE BOUGH OF NONSENSE by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES |
|