Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CARLYLE AND EMERSON, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: A balefire kindled in the night
Last Line: The star that beams above the seas.
Subject(s): Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881); Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882); Writing & Writers


A BALE-FIRE kindled in the night,
By night a blaze, by day a cloud,
With flame and smoke all England woke, --
It climbed so high, it roared so loud:

While over Massachusetts' pines
Uprose a white and steadfast star;
And many a night it hung unwatched, --
It shone so still, it seemed so far.

But Light is Fire, and Fire is Light;
And mariners are glad for these, --
The torch that flares along the coast,
The star that beams above the seas.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net