Classic and Contemporary Poetry
AT A READING, by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH Poem Explanation Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The spare professor, grave and bald Last Line: Or flaw, and curls about her neck. Subject(s): Beauty; Scholarship & Scholars | ||||||||
THE spare Professor, grave and bald, Began his paper. It was called, I think, "A Brief Historic Glance At Russia, Germany, and France." A glance, but to my best belief 'Twas almost anything but brief -- A wide survey, in which the earth Was seen before mankind had birth; Strange monsters basked them in the sun, Behemoth, armored glyptodon, And in the dawn's unpracticed ray The transient dodo winged its way; Then, by degrees, through silt and slough, We reached Berlin -- I don't know how. The good Professor's monotone Had turned me into senseless stone Instanter, but that near me sat Hypatia in her new spring hat, Blue-eyed, intent, with lips whose bloom Lighted the heavy-curtained room. Hypatia -- ah, what lovely things Are fashioned out of eighteen springs! At first, in sums of this amount, The eighteen winters do not count. Just as my eyes were growing dim With heaviness, I saw that slim, Erect, elastic figure there, Like a pond-lily taking air. She looked so fresh, so wise, so neat, So altogether crisp and sweet, I quite forgot what Bismarck said, And why the Emperor shook his head, And how it was Von Moltke's frown Cost France another frontier town. The only facts I took away From the Professor's theme that day Were these: a forehead broad and low, Such as the antique sculptures show; A chin to Greek perfection true; Eyes of Astarte's tender blue; A high complexion without fleck Or flaw, and curls about her neck. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...GILES JOHNSON, PH.D by FRANK MARSHALL DAVIS ADDRESS TO THE SCHOLARS OF NEW ENGLAND by JOHN CROWE RANSOM VERSES, READ AT MY INITIATION INTO THE O.K. by GEORGE SANTAYANA VERSES, SUNG AT MY INITIATION INTO THE PUDDING by GEORGE SANTAYANA FOR BILL NESTRICK by FRANK BIDART THE SCHOLAR GIPSY by MATTHEW ARNOLD A GRAMMARIAN'S FUNERAL by ROBERT BROWNING THE SCHOLARS by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS AFTER THE RAIN by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH AN ALPINE PICTURE by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH AN ODE ON THE UNVEILING OF THE SHAW MEMORIA BOSTON COMMON, MAY 31, 1897 by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH |
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