Classic and Contemporary Poetry
CHRISTMAS ANTIPHONES: 2. OUTSIDE CHURCH, by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: We whose days and ways Last Line: Not for us is born? Subject(s): God; Hope; Life; Night; Optimism; Bedtime | ||||||||
WE whose days and ways All the night makes dark, What day shall we praise Of these weary days That our life-drops mark? We whose mind is blind, Fed with hope of nought; Wastes of worn mankind, Without heart or mind, Without meat or thought; We with strife of life Worn till all life cease, Want, a whetted knife, Sharpening strife on strife, How should we love peace? Ye whose meat is sweet And your wine-cup red, Us beneath your feet Hunger grinds as wheat, Grinds to make you bread. Ye whose night is bright With soft rest and heat, Clothed like day with light, Us the naked night Slays from street to street. Hath your God no rod, That ye tread so light? Man on us as God, God as man hath trod, Trod us down with might. We that one by one Bleed from either's rod, What for us hath done Man beneath the sun, What for us hath God? We whose blood is food Given your wealth to feed, From the Christless rood Red with no God's blood, But with man's indeed; How shall we that see Night-long overhead Life, the flowerless tree, Nailed whereon as we Were our fathers dead -- We whose ear can hear. Not whose tongue can name. Famine, ignorance, fear. Bleeding tear by tear Year by year of shame, Till the dry life die Out of bloodless breast. Out of beamless eye, Out of mouths that cry Till death feed with rest -- How shall we as ye, Though ye bid us, pray? Though ye call, can we Hear you call, or see, Though ye show us day? We whose name is shame, We whose souls walk bare, Shall we call the same God as ye by name, Teach our lips your prayer? God, forgive and give, For His sake who died? Nay, for ours who live, How shall we forgive Thee, then, on our side? We whose right to light Whom the blind beams smite Heaven's high noon denies, That for you shine bright, And but burn our eyes, With what dreams of beams Shall we build up day, At what sourceless streams Seek to drink in dreams Ere they pass away? In what street shall meet, At what market-place, Your feet and our feet, With one goal to greet, Having run one race? What one hope shall ope For us all as one One some horoscope, Where the soul sees hope That outburns the sun? At what shrine what wine, At what board what bread, Salt as blood or brine, Shall we share in sign How we poor were fed? In what hour what power Shall we pray for morn, If your perfect hour, When all day bears flower, Not for us is born? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BREATH OF NIGHT by RANDALL JARRELL HOODED NIGHT by ROBINSON JEFFERS NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP by ROBINSON JEFFERS WORKING OUTSIDE AT NIGHT by DENIS JOHNSON POEM TO TAKE BACK THE NIGHT by JUNE JORDAN COOL DARK ODE by DONALD JUSTICE POEM TO BE READ AT 3 A.M by DONALD JUSTICE ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT by BOB KAUFMAN A BALLAD OF DEATH by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE |
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