Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A WINTER REVERIE ON A WESTERN PLAIN, by JAMES HERVEY HYSLOP


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A WINTER REVERIE ON A WESTERN PLAIN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: No hills or mountains grace the vast expanse
Last Line: Of earthly gain, the longest hope of many prayers.
Subject(s): Grief; Life; Winter; Sorrow; Sadness


No hills or mountains grace the vast expanse
Of western plains, those benisons of Providence
That voice the claim of power or sublimely rise
Into the silent ether deeps, but snowy shrilly winds
Of winter cold that stripped the trees of foliage,
The fields of verdure, and the gray bleak cast
Of landscape, air and sky, all sadly mourning life,
Could only pall the vision, vainly seeking light,
And deeply sadden all the face of nature
That waited for the tender heart of spring,
And silver winds that bring the growing green,
Or warm the passions of the splendid days
Into a glowing worship of the balmy reign
Of Ceres and her fertile plentitude of power,
Richly clad in her gay and wild luxuriance.

A touch of sadness, partly for myself, came painfully
Upon my clouded mind, and partly for the homes
In gray and weather-beaten villages that pay
Unconsciously their tribute to the greater world
Of wealth and art, the boon of fortune and of skill.
The humble population, scorning taste, or ignorant
Of all the finer play of nature and her sportful works,
Are whiling all the winter days in silent patient mood,
And living meagerly upon the scant proceeds of toil,
With neither joy nor sorrow there to stir the calm
And evenness of life. For culture, grace, and knowledge
Are never dreamed as things for hungry avarice.
The little kirk, sustained by habit and tradition far,
Will hardly stir a hope beyond a childish fantasy
Of earthly gain, the longest hope of many prayers.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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