Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BELOW THE HEIGHTS, by WALTER HERRIES POLLOCK


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BELOW THE HEIGHTS, by                    
First Line: I sat at berne, and watched the chain
Last Line: The rose so quickly faded.
Subject(s): Alps; Mountains; Hills; Downs (great Britain)


I SAT at Berne, and watched the chain
Of icy peaks and passes,
That towered like gods above the plain,
In stern majestic masses.

I waited till the evening light
Upon their heads descended;
They caught it on their glittering height,
And held it there suspended.

I saw the red spread o'er the white,
How like a maiden's blushing,
Till all were hid in rosy light
That seemed from heaven rushing;

The dead white snow was flushed with life,
As if a new Pygmalion
Had sought to find himself a wife
In stones that saw Deucalion.

Too soon the light began to wane;
It lingered soft and tender,
And the snow-giants sank again
Into their cold dead splendor.

And, as I watched the last faint glow,
I turned as pale as they did,
And sighed to think that on the snow
The rose so quickly faded.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


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