First Footsteps
July 5, 2023Birth And Death
July 5, 2023Death And Birth
Death and birth should dwell not near together:
Wealth keeps house not, even for shame, with dearth:
Fate doth ill to link in one brief tether
Death and birth.
Harsh the yoke that binds them, strange the girth
Seems that girds them each with each: yet whether
Death be best, who knows, or life on earth?
Ill the rose-red and the sable feather
Blend in one crown’s plume, as grief with mirth:
Ill met still are warm and wintry weather,
Death and birth.
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was a British poet, playwright, and critic, known for his innovative use of rhythm and meter in his poetry. Some of his notable works include "Atalanta in Calydon," "Poems and Ballads," and "Songs Before Sunrise."