Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE SAVAGE, by CHRISTOPHER DARLINGTON MORLEY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE SAVAGE, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Civilization causes me / alternate fits: disgust and glee
Last Line: (like pilate, when his hands he rinsed).
Alternate Author Name(s): Hall, Galway
Subject(s): Civilization; Soul


CIVILIZATION causes me
Alternate fits: disgust and glee.

Buried in piles of glass and stone
My private spirit moves alone,

Where every day from eight to six
I keep alive by hasty tricks.

But I am simple in my soul;
My mind is sullen to control.

At dusk I smell the scent of earth,
And I am dumb -- too glad for mirth.

I know the savors night can give,
And then, and then, I live, I live!

No man is wholly pure and free,
For that is not his destiny,

But though I bend, I will not break:
And still be savage, for Truth's sake.

God damns the easily convinced
(Like Pilate, when his hands he rinsed).





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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