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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE ALCHEMIST by LOUISE BOGAN

Poem Explanation Poet Analysis

First Line: I BURNED MY LIFE, THAT I MIGHT FIND / A PASSION WHOLLY OF THE MIND
Last Line: PASSIONATE BEYOND THE WILL.
Subject(s): LOVE;
I burned my life, that I might find
A passion wholly of the mind,
Thought divorced from eye and bone
Ecstasy come to breath alone.
I broke my life, to seek relief
From the flawed light of love and grief.

With mounting beat, the utter fire
Charred existence and desire.
It died low, ceased its sudden thresh.
I had found unmysterious flesh
Not the mind's avid substance, still
Passionate beyond the will.



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