Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ALPINE SONNETS 2: THE SNOW-FIELD, by HENRY VAN DYKE


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ALPINE SONNETS 2: THE SNOW-FIELD, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: White death had laid his pall upon the plain
Last Line: To cheer my pilgrim-heart no more alone.
Alternate Author Name(s): Civis Americanus
Subject(s): Alps; Mountains; Nature; Hills; Downs (great Britain)


WHITE Death had laid his pall upon the plain,
And crowned the mountain-peaks like monarchs dead;
The vault of heaven was glaring overhead
With pitiless light that filled my eyes with pain;
And while I vainly longed, and looked in vain
For sign or trace of life, my spirit said,
"Shall any living thing that dares to tread
This royal lair of Death escape again?"

But even then I saw before my feet
A line of pointed footprints in the snow:
Some roving chamois, but an hour ago,
Had passed this way along his journey fleet,
And left a message from a friend unknown
To cheer my pilgrim-heart no more alone.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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