Classic and Contemporary Poetry
HOMELESS, by ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER Poem Explanation Poet's Biography First Line: It is cold dark midnight, yet listen Last Line: And dives neglects him still. Alternate Author Name(s): Berwick, Mary Subject(s): England; Homeless; Poverty; English | ||||||||
IT is cold, dark midnight, yet listen To that patter of tiny feet! Is it one of your dogs, fair lady, Who whines in the bleak cold street? Is it one of your silken spaniels Shut out in the snow and the sleet? My dogs sleep warm in their baskets, Safe from the darkness and snow; All the beasts in our Christian England, Find pity wherever they go -- (Those are only the homeless children Who are wandering to and fro). Look out in the gusty darkness, -- I have seen it again and again, That shadow, that flits so slowly Up and down past the window-pane: -- It is surely some criminal lurking Out there in the frozen rain? Nay, our criminals are all sheltered, They are pitied and taught and fed: That is only a sister-woman That has got neither food nor bed, -- And the Night cries, "Sin to be living," And the River cries, "Sin to be dead." Look out at that farthest corner Where the wall stands blank and bare: -- Can that be a pack which a Pedler Has left and forgotten there? His goods lying out unsheltered Will be spoilt by the damp night air. Nay; -- goods in our thrifty England Are not left to lie and grow rotten, For each man knows the market value Of silk or woollen or cotton. . . . But in counting the riches of England I think our Poor are forgotten. Our Beasts and our Thieves and our Chattles Have weight for good or for ill; But the Poor are only His image, His presence, His word, His will; -- And so Lazarus lies at our door-step And Dives neglects him still. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NINETEEN FORTY by NORMAN DUBIE GHOSTS IN ENGLAND by ROBINSON JEFFERS STAYING UP FOR ENGLAND by LIAM RECTOR STONE AND FLOWER by KENNETH REXROTH THE HANGED MAN by KENNETH REXROTH ENGLISH TRAIN COMPARTMENT by JOHN UPDIKE A DOUBTING HEART by ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER |
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