Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE FLOWER OF FAME, by ROBERT UNDERWOOD JOHNSON



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE FLOWER OF FAME, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: He sought it before the billow of spring on the meadow
Last Line: Deep in whose broken blossom the dew lies like a tear.
Subject(s): Fame; Reputation


HE sought it before the billow of spring on the meadow was seen,
When only the flush of the willow was tracing the river with green;
He scanned to the edge of the fraying snows that dappled the mountain-slope,
And ever too late the March sun rose: for he searched the world with hope.

I saw him at noon of the summer day, and that was the favorite hour
To one who had hunted from March to May, and never had found the flower;
For the light was full, as though the sun were aiding his eager quest,
And there were no warning shadows to run o'er his path from east or west.

And still in September's purple and gold he was hunting the grudging ground,
But not with the steady eye of old or the springtime's joyous bound;
If he stopped in his feverish roaming, 't was to question the darkling air;
Too early came the gloaming: he was searching with despair.

And while, for a chance of the rarest, he wanders in storm or heat,
He is blind to the charm of the fairest; he is crushing beneath his feet
The Flower of Every Valley, the Flower of All the Year,
Deep in whose broken blossom the dew lies like a tear.





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