Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE TINY HAT UPON THE BROW, by LEVI BISHOP Poet's Biography First Line: That elfin crown, so light and neat Last Line: Not diadem upon the brow. Subject(s): Art & Artists; Courts & Courtiers; Nature; Soul; Royal Court Life; Royalty; Kings; Queens | ||||||||
That elfin crown, so light and neat, Might well a fairy queen endow; With flower or plumage all complete -- The tiny hat upon the brow. It rides the chignon lifted high, Like regal bonnet on the prow, Triumphantly; yet some decry, This janty chapeau on the brow. The crusty cynic we may see, Bent fiercely on "domestic row," Who calls it, in his fiendish glee, A cabbage leaf upon the brow. Ah, what a stupid cabbage head, That to perfection will not bow! Could he admire, so vulgar bred, This true perfection on the brow! Its color -- texture -- delicate, Like bloom of summer on the bough; Behold, the prince of courtly state -- This bloom of roses on the brow! Thou snowy cap of alpine peak, That glitters in the sunlight now, To rival this no longer seek -- This beacon light upon the brow! Like crest upon the foaming tide; As evanescent all allow; Yet when it decks the lovely bride, Oh, bridal garland on the brow! The use need not our souls perplex; Its taste no one can disallow; Enough, it crowns the gentler sex -- A crown of glory on the brow. And yet that blooming cheek below, Far, far outshines it all avow; No art can rival nature's flow, Not diadem upon the brow. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BOTHWELL: PART 4 by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN IN PHARAOH'S TOMB by HAYDEN CARRUTH FOR THE INVESTITURE by CECIL DAY LEWIS ELEGY ASKING THAT IT BE THE LAST; FOR INGRID ERHARDT, 1951-1971 by NORMAN DUBIE L,ENVOI: IN OUR TIME by ERNEST HEMINGWAY VASHTI by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON LINES ON CARMEN SYLVA by EMMA LAZARUS TO CARMEN SYLVA (QUEEN OF ROUMANIA) by EMMA LAZARUS A HOP AT SARATOGA by LEVI BISHOP |
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