Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DEBT, by JOHN ORLEY ALLEN TATE


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DEBT, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: A withered silence filled my chest of sorrow
Last Line: Fleeced I the giver, yet am penniless.
Alternate Author Name(s): Tate, Allen
Subject(s): Relationships


A withered silence filled my chest of sorrow
With mildewed fancies till she cam to me;
My world she made of laughter and tomorrow --
A lonely sail that gemmed a wasted sea.
Her wisdom was a spendthrift, lavishing
On me a costly cloak of fertile power;
She led me up a steep path to the spring
To taste eternity, bubbling in an hour.
But I forgot the equipage I wore,
The magic sifted whiteness of her mind
Coloring life; vaunted is burgeoned lore
Of riches taken, leaving a debt behind.
From her I got but gave no wealthiness:
Fleeced I the giver, yet am penniless.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net