A crowd was gathering beneath the tent -- The clown must keep them in a happy mood; No matter if the jokes are rough and rude, A circus is a place for merriment. And one must be quick-minded and invent New tricks and let no saddened thoughts intrude, Nor let the public see him sigh or brood, But banish care and seem indifferent. There came a lull -- I saw him lean awhile Against a post and gaze with weary eyes, As if he traveled backward many a mile. . . . And though his body wore a gay disguise, For one brief space he played a tragic role -- There is no mask to hide a lonely soul. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE FIRST VOYAGE OF JOHN CABOT [1497] by KATHARINE LEE BATES MY AIN COUNTRIE by MARY LEE DEMAREST THE MAD GARDENER'S SONG by CHARLES LUTWIDGE DODGSON THE HIPPOPOTAMUS by THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT THE HOMECOMING by THOMAS HARDY THE SLAVE MOTHER by FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER |