Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PAX VOBISCUM, by JOHN COWPER POWYS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PAX VOBISCUM, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh eyelids of the dying day
Last Line: And her madness passed away.
Subject(s): Crucifixion; Insanity; Night; Pain; Sleep; Soul; Sun; Jesus Christ - Crucifixion; Madness; Mental Illness; Bedtime; Suffering; Misery


"Oh eyelids of the dying day,
Fall gently on her pain,
And give her peace and take away
The madness from her brain!"

So wept the trees, so sighed the grass,
As that pale form went by;
But the weary evening let her pass,
And the sun sank pitilessly.

"Oh healing ocean of darkness deep,
Your cool nepenthe pour
Over her sorrow; give her sleep!"
Cried the sea to the silent shore.

But the night looked into her white face
And read such things written there
As are written on the gulfs of space --
Emptiness and despair!

And the night was helpless and could not stir;
Then I arose
And watched the waves of nothingness roll,
I who was nothing, nothing to her!

And I took my soul and crucified it,
Crucified it between night and day.
Then at last she knew repose,
And her madness passed away.





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