Classic and Contemporary Poetry
TOWARDS DEMOCRACY: PART 4. THE OPEN SECRET, by EDWARD CARPENTER Poet's Biography First Line: Sweet secret of the open air Last Line: And all things are at home. Subject(s): Secrets | ||||||||
SWEET secret of the open air That waits so long, and always there, unheeded. Something uncaught, so free, so calm large confident The floating breeze, the far hills and broad sky, And every little bird and tiny fly or flower At home in the great whole, nor feeling lost at all or forsaken, Save manslight man! He, Cain-like from the calm eyes of the Angels, In houses hiding, in huge gas-lighted offices and dens, in ponderous churches, Beset with darkness, cowers; And like some hunted criminal torments his brain For fresh means of escape, continually; Builds thicker higher walls, ramparts of stone and gold, piles flesh and skins of slaughtered beasts, 'Twixt him and that he fears; Fevers himself with plans, works harder and harder, And wanders far and farther from the goal. And still the great World waits by the door as ever, The great World stretching endlessly on every hand, in deep on deep of fathomless content Where sing the Morning-stars in joy together, And all things are at home. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AT THE MUSEE RODIN IN PARIS by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR CHANEL NO. 5 by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR EXISTING LIGHT; FOR LEE NYE by MADELINE DEFREES GRETA GARBO AND THE STAR MESSENGER by MADELINE DEFREES ELSINORE IN THE LATE ANCIENT AUTUMN by NORMAN DUBIE MARGARET'S SPEECH by NORMAN DUBIE THE PARALLAX MONOGRAPH FOR RODIN by NORMAN DUBIE THE TREES OF MADAME BLAVATSKY by NORMAN DUBIE AS A MOULD FOR SOME FAIR FORM by EDWARD CARPENTER |
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