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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE NORNS WATERING YGGDRASILL (FOR A PICTURE), by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT Poem Explanation Poet's Biography First Line: Within the unchanging twilight Last Line: Who evermore come and go. | |||
WITHIN the unchanging twilight Of the high land of the gods, Between the murmuring fountain And the Ash-tree, tree of trees, The Norns, the terrible maidens, For evermore come and go. Yggdrasill the populous Ash-tree, Whose leaves embroider heaven, Fills all the gray air with music -- To Gods and to men sweet sounds, But speech to the fine-ear'd maidens Who evermore come and go. That way to their doomstead thrones The Aesir ride each day, And every one bends to the saddle As they pass beneath the shade; Even Odin, the strong All-father, Bends to the beautiful maidens Who cease not to come and go. The tempest crosses the high boughs, The great snakes heave below, The wolf, the boar, and antler'd harts Delve at the life-giving roots, But all of them fear the wise maidens, The wise-hearted water-bearers Who evermore come and go. And men far away, in the night-hours To the north-wind listening, hear; They hear the howl of the were-wolf, And know he hath felt the sting Of the eyes of the potent maidens Who sleeplessly come and go. They hear on the wings of the north-wind A sound as of three that sing; And the skald, in the blae mist wandering High on the midland fell, Heard the very words of the o'ersong Of the Norns who come and go. But alas for the ears of mortals Chance-hearing that fate-laden song! The bones of the skald lie there still: For the speech of the leaves of the Tree Is the song of the three Queen-maidens Who evermore come and go. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EARLY ASPIRATIONS by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT GLENKINDIE by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT GREEN CHERRIES, SELECTION by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT HERO-WORSHIP by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT PYGMALION by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT THE WITCH'S BALLAD by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT TO THE ARTISTS CALLED P.R.B. by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT TO THE DEAD (A PARAPHRASE) by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT YOUTH AND AGE by WILLIAM BELL SCOTT CAMPUS SONNET: BEFORE AN EXAMINATION by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET |
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