Sea-preserved, heaped with sea-spoils,
Ribs, keels, coral sores,
Detached faces, ephemeral oils,
Discharged on the world’s outer shores,
A dumb child-king
Arrives at his right place; rests,
Undisturbed, among slack serpents; beasts
With claws flesh-buttered. In the gathering
Of bestial and common hardship
Artistic men appear to worship
And fall down; to recognize
Familiar tokens; believe their own eyes.
Above the marvel, each rigid head,
Angels, their unnatural wings displayed,
Freeze into an attitude
Recalling the dead.
(Geoffrey Hill)
More Poetry from Geoffrey Hill:
Geoffrey Hill Poems based on Topics: World, Belief & Faith, Faces, Angels, Place, Attitude- The Triumph of Love (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
- An Apology for the Revival of Christian Architecture in England (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
- Funeral Music (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
- Mercian Hymns (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
- From "Odi Barbare" (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
- Tenebrae (Geoffrey Hill Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: World Poems, Faces Poems, Place Poems, Belief & Faith Poems, Angels Poems, Attitude PoemsBased on Keywords: artistic, child-king, sea-spoils