Villanelle
July 5, 2023A Song of the setting sun
July 5, 2023To One in Bedlam
(For Henry Davray)
With delicate, mad hands, behind his sordid bars,
Surely he hath his posies, which they tear and twine;
Those scentless wisps of straw , that miserably line
His strait, caged universe, whereat the dull world stares,
Pedant and pitiful. O, how his rapt gaze wars
With their stupidity! Know they what dreams divine
Lift his long, laughing reveries like enchanted wine,
And make his melancholy germane to the stars?
O lamentable brother! if those pity thee,
Am I not fain of all thy lone eyes promise me;
Half a fool’s kingdom, far from men who sow and reap,
All their days, vanity? Better than mortal flowers,
Thy moon-kissed roses seem: better than love or sleep,
The star-crowned solitude of thine oblivious hours!
Ernest Christopher Dowson
Ernest Christopher Dowson (1867-1900) was an English poet and writer known for his decadent and melancholy works. His most famous poems include "Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae" and "Cynara," which explore themes of lost love and the passing of time. Dowson was a key figure in the fin de siècle movement in literature and art.