A peacock on a pedestal In beauty doth prevail, Yet if he had a thousand eyes He could not see his tail. Fate rules he may not turn to gaze For e'en the briefest span Whene'er he spreads in green and gold His very famous fan. The rower chained to galley bench From noontime unto noon, He never sees his own trireme From viewpoint of the moon. The bulkheads like a bandage bind, The deckbeams heed no sigh, And only when the galley rolls The oar ports show the sky. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ARCTURUS IN AUTUMN by SARA TEASDALE LACEDEMONIAN INSTRUCTION by WILLIAM BLAKE MERLIN'S PROPHESY by WILLIAM BLAKE A MAN BY THE NAME OF BOLUS by JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY IMAGES: 5 by RICHARD ALDINGTON THE IDEAL FOUND by ANNE CHARLOTTE LYNCH BOTTA THE GREAT ADVENTURE (WITH ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO GEORGE MATTHEW ADAMS) by BERTON BRALEY |