Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE STONE LANTERN, by JANET B. MONTGOMERY MCGOVERN



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE STONE LANTERN, by                    
First Line: Old, dilapidated, grey; no longer a light-giver
Last Line: To bring light and perfume.
Subject(s): Old Age; Stones; Granite; Rocks


OLD, dilapidated, grey; no longer a light-giver,
The stone lantern, or that which was once a lantern,
Stands neglected in the corner of the garden;
Lichened-over, crumbling, stones slipping one from the other,
So that men can no more stand in reverend awe
Before the sacred symbols that once these stones signified.
To-day its glory consists in this: it is the support
Of a morning-glory vine, that but for the broken stones
Would trail in the dust, trodden under foot,
A thing of hideousness, a smear of green slime on the geta.
Instead of the heaven-reflecting joy that to-day smiles in the sunshine.
So does the old lantern still serve a purpose.
And so shall I believe that I do;
I, whose life has been broken, who am to a woman
What that old heap of stones is to a lantern new-made,
Glowing with light that men love in lanterns and in women's eyes.
For I, too, can act as a support, and shall,
To that fair young woman
Whom my lord has brought into the house
To bring light and perfume.





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