He never feared November days; He knew how counterpoint of black and white Gave grey the deeper value. He could take today's bright glare And still gaze eager-eyed To scarlet banners streaming horizon-ward. He was forever young, forever old; In his soul dwelt harmony. Yet, as all men must, so he serves His bondage to pettiness. Master! What will you teach this man That half repays The bitter, hated burden of the bond? Yes, yes -- "work out the time" -- Men must do it all their lives -- And then -- What if the well-loved grey resolves to gloom, What if the book is closed and put away, And what if there are no scarlet flashes In the endless round of little days. Defeat! This man will not accept the word. From the darkest days he seeks to glean The tiny, filtered ray of happiness. He holds it in the prism of his heart, Gaining each day the bravery That lifts once more his eyes To scarlet banners streaming in the skies! And so, magnificently, he writes the page Of youth revitalized by age. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE ALTAR by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON THE EXAMPLE by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES THE IDEA OF BALANCE IS TO BE FOUND IN HERONS AND LOONS by JAMES HARRISON EPIPSYCHIDION by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY THE TRIUMPH OF TIME by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE UNEXPECTED FORTUNE by ABUL QASIM OF SILVES |