Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE DESERTED PASTURE, by BLISS CARMAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE DESERTED PASTURE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: I love the stony pasture
Last Line: To pitch their tents therein.
Subject(s): Fields; Nature - Religious Aspects; Perseverance; War; Pastures; Meadows; Leas


I love the stony pasture
That no one else will have,
The old gray rocks so friendly seem,
So durable and brave.

In tranquil contemplation
It watches through the year,
Seeing the frosty stars arise,
The slender moons appear.

Its music is the rain-wind,
Its choristers the birds,
And there are secrets in its heart
Too wonderful for words.

It keeps the bright-eyed creatures
That play about its walls,
Though long ago its milking herds
Were banished from their stalls.

Only the children come there,
For buttercups in May,
Or nuts in autumn, where it lies
Dreaming the hours away.

Long since its strength was given
To making good increase,
And now its soul is turned again
To beauty and to peace.

There in the earthly springtime
The violets are blue,
And adder-tongues in coats of gold
Are garmented anew.

There bayberry and aster
Are crowded on its floors
When marching summer halts to praise
The Lord of Out-of-doors.

And then October passes
In gorgeous livery,
In purple ash, and crimson oak,
And golden tulip tree.

And when the winds of winter
Their bugles blast again,
I watch the battalions come
To pitch their tents therein.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net