Classic and Contemporary Poetry
WIND FROM THE EAST, by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The spring, so fair in her young incompleteness Last Line: And merciless waftage of this wind of death! Subject(s): Blackmore, Richard Doddridge (1825-1900) | ||||||||
THE Spring, so fair in her young incompleteness, Of late the very type of tender sweetness; Now, through frail leaves and misty branches brown, Looks forth, the dreary shadow of a frown Chasing the frank smile from her innocent face; What marvel this? for the East Wind's disgrace Smites, like a buffet, April's tingling cheek, Whence the swift, outraged blood doth ebb to seek The affrighted heart! The Earth, herself so gay, Buoyant, and happy, at the dawn of day, Thrills, shivering low with every flaw increased, And fraught with salt-sea coldness from the East! O masterful wind and cruel! at thy sweep, From the bold hill-top to the valley-deep, Surprise and fear through all the woodlands run, Till the coy nestling-places of the sun Are ruffled up, from shine to shade, as when At the first note of storm the moorland hen Ruffles her wings ere yet their warmth be spread About each tremulous nestling's dusky head. On the tall trees the foremost buds, half bare, Stared, as wild-eyed, on the keen, rasping air; Then shook -- but not with softly-palpitant thrills, As when, o'erlooking the freed mountain-rills, They felt their life by loving arms caressed -- Warm, viewless arms of zephyrs of the West -- But with the sense, the cold and shivery stress Of utter and forlornest nakedness. The twigs that bore them flattened upward, lost To all but rigid consciousness of frost; And their full-foliaged branches which so blindly Bowed in meek homage when the winds were kindly Strained upward, too, in stiff, rebellious fashion, With throes of anguish and deep moans of passion, Wrung from them by wild beatings of the gale! Then many a tiny leaf, though waxing pale, Cloud-shadowed; all unfrayed, yet quivering, shrunk Behind the mosses of some giant trunk, To wait till the shrewd tempest hurtling by Left Spring once more empress of earth and sky -- While many a large leaf, almost riven apart, Piped a sad dirge from out its fluted heart, And knowing what sombre selvage must be seen -- Alas, too soon! -- to film its glow of green, Bewailed the hour whose treacherous brightness came To warm its life-blood into genial flame Only to send the blissful-flowing tide Back through the baffled veins unsatisfied, Its nascent joy nipped by the arctic breath And merciless waftage of this Wind of Death! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A STORM IN THE DISTANCE (AMONG THE GEORGIAN HILLS) by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE ASPECTS OF THE PINES by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE BEYOND THE POTOMAC by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE CHARLESTON by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE IN HARBOR by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE MACDONALD'S RAID - A.D. 1780 by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE PATIENCE by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE PRE-EXISTENCE by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE THE BATTLE OF CHARLESTON HARBOR by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE THE ROSE AND THORN by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE VICKSBURG by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE A BACHELOR-BOOKWORM'S COMPLAINT OF LAST PRESENTIAL ELECTION by PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE |
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