Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE OGRES, by JOHN FREEMAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE OGRES, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Beside the palisade of silver birch-trees
Last Line: By any gust of anger or despair.
Subject(s): Anger; Giants; Men


BESIDE the palisade of silver birch-trees
Green beards of staring ogres shake and wave
Defiance, lest between the silver birches
Rudely I thrust, to stare upon the grave
Maiden-like waters of the windless lake.

Ogres like those that make night visions torture
Could not avail to stay my heedless tread;
Their tiny fierce eyes could no longer fright me.
—But in the lake the eyelids of one dead
Would float up, opening ghastly at my gaze.

There needs no angry ogres with green beards,
Nor floating horror of a face weed-vexed:
Never the so unremembered love shall be profaned,
Never again that image be perplexed
By any gust of anger or despair.





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