Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BEYOND THE HOUR, by MONROE HEATH



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BEYOND THE HOUR, by                    
First Line: These hills have stood too long
Last Line: Than linger, broken and diminished.
Subject(s): Beauty; Past; Time


These hills have stood too long.
Behold them now subdued and even,
With not one crest aspiring heaven.
Crumbled, ancient, and decayed,
The ridges rise without a thrust
Wearily, wearily, as if they must
Persist and claim half-hearted
Some trace of glory, now departed.

They are too old for sorrow;
Too worn, too humbled to command
A pang of grief. We can only stand
And pity, knowing neither moon
Nor mist nor storm nor autumn splendor
Can reinvest them with the tender
Or terrible beauty they
Compelled in a remoter day.

Better were they laid low,
Shattered by winds and sun and rains,
Dust of the dust in prostrate plains,
Till time resurging waken them.
Nothing should last beyond the hour
Of beauty, usefulness, or power;
Better the thing be finished
Than linger, broken and diminished.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net