Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE GLEAM, by WILLIAM ALEXANDER PERCY


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THE GLEAM, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: This corpuscle that from my heart
Last Line: Eternal mind's activity.
Subject(s): Light


This corpuscle that from my heart
Runs to and fro and to and fro
Can never guess by any art
His avenue is my blood's flow,
And all his personality
A part, diminutive, of me.

Nor does the sun that troubles but
One drop of heaven with his glare
Conceive his ancient golden rut
To be a sheep-path down the air
Traced out for him in ages flown
By herded stars to him unknown.

And I -- in whose celestial veins
Ichored with lightning runs my course,
Despite my hand upon the reins
Fixed as the sun's by that dread force
That thinks a thought and dreams a dream
Betrayed to us but by some gleam,

Some momentary pang of light
Winging the cavern where we grope,
That crucifies us with delight
And breaks our hearts with splendid hope --
Seeing, although we cannot see,
Eternal Mind's activity.





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