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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
FAIR HARVARD, by GEORGE SANTAYANA Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Fair harvard, the winter of puritan snows Last Line: And our light was a spark of thy flame. Subject(s): Harvard University | |||
Fair Harvard, the winter of Puritan snows That enshrouded thy tremulous birth Melts slowly to spring, now the south wind blows O'er the face of this generous earth. Thy elms are outspreading their flexible arms Over meadows more fruitful and broad, And soft ivy is veiling with negligent charms The gaunt walls of the castle of God. With freedom for heritage, reason for star, And friendship for sojourner here, Shall music long tremblingly sound from afar Or genius be smothered in fear? Where the ages may meet and the spirit may climb To a truth that is builded on doubt, The eternal may dwell mid the currents of time And peace above barbarous rout, And the just voice unlearn to be strident and sharp, And, attuned to life's happier choir, Join the stress of all David might shout to his harp With all Lysis might lisp to his lyre, And Olympia again call the strong and the fleet To glory and art and control, And a deathless Academy build a retreat To ponder the things of the soul. If to glory, young Mother, thy destiny tend, If thy labours have honour in store, Our loves shall not die, though their chronicle end Nor mortals remember us more. For once from their dreaming the man and the boy, Fair Harvard, awoke at thy name, And our happiest years were a part of thy joy, And our light was a spark of thy flame. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...APOLOGIES TO HARVARD; THE PHI BETA KAPPA POEM, 1973 by JOHN UPDIKE HUMANITIES COURSE by JOHN UPDIKE WIDENER LIBRARY, READING ROOM by JOHN UPDIKE TWO STUDIES IN IDEALISM: 2. HARVARD '61: BATTLE FATIGUE by ROBERT PENN WARREN W. E. B. DUBOIS AT HARVARD by JAY WRIGHT COMMEMORATION ODE READ AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL V.B. NIMBLE, V.B. QUICK by JOHN UPDIKE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, IN NEW-ENGLAND by PHILLIS WHEATLEY AN ELECTIVE COURSE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH |
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