Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE CLIMATE OF THOUGHT, by ROBERT RANKE GRAVES


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE CLIMATE OF THOUGHT, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: The climate of thought has seldom been described
Last Line: The moon, grand, not fanciful with clouds.


The climate of thought has seldom been described.
It is no terror of Caucasian frost,
Nor yet that brooding Hindu heat
For which a loin-rag and a dish of rice
Suffice until the pestilent monsoon.
But, without winter, blood would run too thin;Or, without summer, fires would
burn too long.
In thought the seasons run concurrently.
Thought has a sea to gaze, not voyage on;
And hills, to rough the edge of the bland sky,
Not to be climbed in search of blander prospect;
Few birds, sufficient for such caterpillars
As are not fated to turn butterflies;
Few butterflies, sufficient for the flowers
That are the luxury of a full orchard;
Wind, sometimes, in the evening chimneys; rain
On the early morning roof, on sleepy sight;
Snow streaked upon the hilltop, feeding
The fond brook at the valley-head
That greens the valley and that parts the lips;
The sun, simple, like a country neighbour;
The moon, grand, not fanciful with clouds.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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