Classic and Contemporary Poetry
EDEN, by ARTHUR WILLIAM EDGAR O'SHAUGHNESSY Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Weary and wandering, hand in hand Last Line: Eden must surely win. Alternate Author Name(s): O'shaughnessy, Arthur W. E. Subject(s): Bible; Eden; God; Sin | ||||||||
WEARY and wandering, hand in hand, Through ways and cities rough, And with a law in every land Written against our love, We set our hearts to seek and find, Forgotten now and out of mind, Lost Eden garden desolate, Hoping the angel would be kind, And let us pass the gate. We turned into the lawless waste Wild outer gardens of the world We heard awhile our footsteps chased, Men's curses at us hurled; But safe at length, we came and found, Open with ruined wall all round, Lost Eden garden desolate; No angel stood to guard the ground At Eden garden gate. We crossed the flower-encumbered floor, And wandered up and down the place, And marvelled at the open door And all the desolate grace And beast and bird with joy and song That broke man's laws the whole day long; For all was free in Eden waste: There seemed no rule of right and wrong, No fruit we might not taste. Our hearts, o'erwhelmed with many a word Of bitter scathing, human blame, Trembled with what they late had heard, And fear upon us came, Till, finding the forbidden tree, We ate the fruit, and stayed to see If God would chide our wickedness; No God forbade my love and me In Eden wilderness. The rose has overgrown the bower In lawless Eden garden waste, The eastern flower and western flower Have met and interlaced; The trees have joined above and twined And shut out every cruel wind That from the world was blown: Ah, what a place for love to find Is Eden garden grown! The fair things exiled from the earth Have found the way there in a dream; The phoenix has its fiery birth And nests there in the gleam; Love's self, with draggled rainbow wings, At rest now from his wanderings, In Eden beds and bowers hath lain So long, no wealth of worldly kings Will win him back again. And now we need not fear to kiss; The serpent is our playfellow, And tempts us on from bliss to bliss, No man can see or know. Love was turned out of Eden first By God, and then of man accurst; And fleeing long from human hate, And counting man's hard laws the worst, Returned to Eden gate. Now every creature there obeys Exuberantly his lawless power; The wall is overthrown, the ways Ruined by bird and flower; The nuptial riot of the rose Runs on for centuries and grows; The great heart of the place is strong It swells in overmastering throes Of passionate sigh and song. And while we joy in Eden's state, Outside men serve a loveless lord; They think the angel guards the gate With burning fiery sword! Ah, fools! he fled an age ago, The roses pressed upon him so, And all the perfume from within, And he forgot or did not know; Eden must surely win. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SEVEN STREAMS OF NEVIS by GALWAY KINNELL CHANEL NO. 5 by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR BROTHERS: 4. IN MY OWN DEFENSE by LUCILLE CLIFTON THE RING AND THE CASTLE by AMY LOWELL APPELLATE JURISDICTION by MARIANNE MOORE YOUTH AND ART by ROBERT BROWNING |
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