The wild swan over the marshes knows On what cold reed-bed The witch-girl pressed the rook-boy's lips Until they bled. The wild owl over the mad-house knows In what padded place The loveliest form that ever breathed Lies on her face. The wild hawk over Golgotha knows Whose patient heart Cursed day, night, earth and heaven, before its curse Rent it apart. The wild kite over the world's edge knows To what piteous end All joy, all hope, all love, all wisdom, all desire, In swift procession tend -- Yet none the less it soars and flashes free Across the glaciers of eternity! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IN THE UNDERWORLD by ISAAC ROSENBERG GOOD FRIDAY HYMN by GEORGE SANTAYANA THE BEACON; A MUSICAL DRAMA by JOANNA BAILLIE WORK WITHOUT HOPE by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE SIBERIA by JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN GULLS by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS |