FROM THE POETRY SHELF1914

A Blockhead

Before me lies a mass of shapeless days, Unseparated atoms, and I must Sort them apart and live them. Sifted dust Covers the formless heap. Reprieves, delays, There are none, ever. As a monk who prays The sliding beads asunder, so I thrust Each tasteless particle aside, and just Begin again the task which never stays. And I have known a glory of great suns, When days flashed by, pulsing with joy and fire! Drunk bubbled wine in goblets of desire, And felt the whipped blood laughing as it runs! Spilt is that liquor, my too hasty hand Threw down the cup, and did not understand.

Collection and author context

The linked Project Gutenberg text places this poem in Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (1914). Lowell’s work as a poet, critic, and editor—and her advocacy for Imagism—provides broader context for reading the collection.

Source text: Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (1914) · Project Gutenberg. Further reading: all poems by Amy Lowell · Academy of American Poets: Amy Lowell · Poetry Foundation: Amy Lowell.

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