Classic and Contemporary Poetry
AGE AND YOUTH, by LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: I tell thee,' said the old man, 'what is life' Last Line: "whose consciousness is as an unknown curse?" Alternate Author Name(s): L. E. L.; Maclean, Letitia Subject(s): Old Age; Youth | ||||||||
"I TELL thee," said the old man, "what is life. A gulf of troubled waters -- where the soul, Like a vexed bark, is tossed upon the waves Of pain and pleasure, by the wavering breath Of passions. They are winds that drive it on, But only to destruction and despair. Methinks that we have known some former state More glorious than our present; and the heart Is haunted by dim memories -- shadows left By past felicity. Hence do we pine For vain aspirings -- hopes that fill the eyes With bitter tears for their own vanity. Are we then fallen from some lovely star, Whose consciousness is as an unknown curse?" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BETWEEN THE WARS by ROBERT HASS THE GOLDEN SHOVEL by TERRANCE HAYES ALONG WITH YOUTH by ERNEST HEMINGWAY THE BLACK RIVIERA by MARK JARMAN CALYPSO WATCHING THE OCEAN by LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON |
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