Tho’ Lack of Laurels
July 6, 2023The Melancholy Year Is Dead with Rain
July 6, 2023They Lived Enamoured of the Lovely Moon
They lived enamoured of the lovely moon,
The dawn and twilight on their gentle lake.
Then Passion marvellously born did shake
Their breast and drave them into the mid-noon.
Their lives did shrink to one desire, and soon
They rose fire-eyed to follow in the wake
Of one eternal thought,–when sudden brake
Their hearts. They died, in miserable swoon.
Of all their agony not a sound was heard.
The glory of the Earth is more than they.
She asks her lovely image of the day:
A flower grows, a million boughs are green,
And over moving ocean-waves the bird
Chases his shadow and is no more seen.
Trumbull Stickney
Trumbull Stickney (1874-1904) was an American poet and scholar who is known for his works that explore themes of love, beauty, and the natural world. He was a leading figure in the American literary world of the early 20th century and his works continue to be studied for their insights into the aesthetics of modernist poetry.