The tall camels of the spirit
Steer for their deserts, passing the last groves loud
With the sawmill shrill of the locust, to the whole honey of the
arid
Sun. They are slow, proud,
And move with a stilted stride
To the land of sheer horizon, hunting Traherne’s
Sensible emptiness, there where the brain’s lantern-slide
Revels in vast returns.
O connoisseurs of thirst,
Beasts of my soul who long to learn to drink
Of pure mirage, those prosperous islands are accurst
That shimmer on the brink
Of absence; auras, lustres,
And all shinings need to be shaped and borne.
Think of those painted saints, capped by the early masters
With bright, jauntily-worn
Aureate plates, or even
Merry-go-round rings. Turn, O turn
From the fine sleights of the sand, from the long empty oven
Where flames in flamings burn
Back to the trees arrayed
In bursts of glare, to the halo-dialing run
Of the country creeks, and the hills’ bracken tiaras made
Gold in the sunken sun,
Wisely watch for the sight
Of the supernova burgeoning over the barn,
Lampshine blurred in the steam of beasts, the spirit’s right
Oasis, light incarnate.
(Richard Wilbur)
More Poetry from Richard Wilbur:
Richard Wilbur Poems based on Topics: Mind, Light, Sense & Perception, Nature, Countries, Astronomy & Cosmology, Brain- Wedding Toast (Richard Wilbur Poems)
- Riddle (Richard Wilbur Poems)
- A Plain Song For Comadre (Richard Wilbur Poems)
- Advice to a Prophet (Richard Wilbur Poems)
- Love Calls Us To The Things Of This World (Richard Wilbur Poems)
- June Light (Richard Wilbur Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Light Poems, Mind Poems, Nature Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Brain Poems, Countries Poems, Astronomy & Cosmology PoemsBased on Keywords: capped, locust, bracken, burgeoning, lustres, sleights, aureate, sawmill, connoisseurs, merry-go-round, stilted