FROM THE POETRY SHELF1914

Anticipation

by

I have been temperate always, But I am like to be very drunk With your coming. There have been times I feared to walk down the street Lest I should reel with the wine of you, And jerk against my neighbours As they go by. I am parched now, and my tongue is horrible in my mouth, But my brain is noisy With the clash and gurgle of filling wine-cups.
Sword Blades and Poppy Seed (1914) · Project Gutenberg ↗

Public domain in the United States.

License & usage

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.

More by Amy Lowell

The Captured GoddessAmy Lowell1914The CyclistsAmy Lowell1914Sunshine through a Cobwebbed WindowAmy Lowell1914A London Thoroughfare. 2 A.M.Amy Lowell1914

All poems by Amy LowellRead today’s poemAbout the collection