Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE CITY OF MY YOUTH, by EDWARD NOYES POMEROY First Line: The town I knew is sunk from sight Last Line: Thy happiness my tears. Subject(s): Childhood Memories; Cities; Youth; Urban Life | ||||||||
The town I knew is sunk from sight, The waves above it flow; And still the streets are laved in light The light of long ago. It nestles warm among its trees, As comes and goes the day; 'Tis peopled with the fantasies That charm and cheat decay. I seek here what I cannot find, What will not come I crave The recognition that would bind And make my heart a slave. The pleasant nod is not for me, Unstirred the placid face; The generation that I see Hath other trysting place. The homes oft visited before Are unfamiliar grown; The church's long-frequented door Remembers not its own. The schoolroom is a haunted house; The creaking floors are whist; No pupil lingers but the mouse, Who will not be dismissed. Yet Fortune's visage doth not lack A smile to match its frown; The dial's shadow travels back Whereon it was gone down. Impetuous boyhood comes again With reckless rush and shout. Transfigured at the flaming pane, Unaging youth looks out. The dwelling place my own so long Withdraws its threshold bar Its memories about me throng; The days that are not, are. My loved ones give me olden cheer, Unfaltering love and trust; One moment they are gathered here, The next and they are dust. O vanished city of my youth! Eternal are thy years. Thy sorrows are my joys in truth; Thy happiness my tears. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THINGS (FOR AN INDIAN) TO DO IN NEW YORK (CITY) by SHERMAN ALEXIE THE CITY REVISITED by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET TEN OXHERDING PICTURES: ENTERING THE CITY WITH BLISS-BESTOWING HANDS by LUCILLE CLIFTON THE CITY OF THE OLESHA FRUIT by NORMAN DUBIE DISCOVERING THE PHOTOGRAPH OF LLOYD, EARL, AND PRISCILLA by LYNN EMANUEL MY DIAMOND STUD by ALICE FULTON THE OLD CHURCH ON THE HILL by EDWARD NOYES POMEROY |
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