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The SirensI never knew the road
From which the whole earth didn't call away,
With wild birds rounding the hill crowns,
Haling out of the heart an old dismay,
Or the shore somewhere pounding its slow code,
Or low-lighted towns
Seeming to tell me to stay.
Lands I have never seen
And shall not see, loves I will not forget,
All I have missed, or slighted, or foregone
Call to me now. And weaken me. And yet
I would not walk a road without a scene.
I listen going on,
The richer for regret.
- Richard Wilbur, Ceremony, 1950
Interesting rhyme scheme - a,b,c,b,a,c,b. Pretty tricky!
ReplyDelete"Richer for regret"? I think I'd like to regret less and be a little poorer in that case. Is the feeling of regret at not having done things better than the feeling of regret at having done things you . . . regret? This poem is about the first kind of regret, perhaps? I like the line "Haling out of the heart an old dismay." The photo compliments the poem very well.
I'm not anonymous, my name's Amanda. But I can't figure out how to post any other way!
ReplyDeleteThat was lovely. Thank you, Jim. JL
ReplyDelete