Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


SORROW by KATRINA TRASK

Poet Analysis

First Line: O THORN-CROWNED SORROW, PITILESS AND STERN
Last Line: GREAT GOD, HAVE MERCY ON MY MISERY!

O THORN-CROWNED Sorrow, pitiless and stern,
I sit alone with broken heart, my head
Low bowed, keeping long vigil with my dead.
My soul, unutterably sad, doth yearn
Beyond relief in tears -- they only burn
My aching eyelids to fall back unshed
Upon the throbbing brain like molten lead,
Making it frenzied. Shall I ever learn
To face you fearlessly, as by my door
You stand with haunting eyes and death-damp hair,
Through the night-watches, whispering solemnly,
"Behold, I am thy guest forevermore."
It chills my soul to know that you are there.
Great God, have mercy on my misery!



Home: PoetryExplorer.net