WHOEVER thou art who passest by Know that my father was gentle, And my mother was violent, While I was born the whole of such hostile halves, Not intermixed and fused, But each distinct, feebly soldered together. Some of you saw me as gentle, Some as violent, Some as both. But neither half of me wrought my ruin. It was the falling asunder of halves, Never a part of each other, That left me a lifeless soul. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AMERICA by SAMUEL FRANCIS SMITH SONNET: 9. TO THE RIVER LODON by THOMAS WARTON THE YOUNGER A CHILD IS WEEPING by JOHANNA AMBROSIUS MY BATH by JOHN STUART BLACKIE CATHERINE TO GREGORY, THE POPE by MARY KATE BLAND BEREAVEMENT by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |