I have been all men known to history,
Wondering at the world and at time passing;
I have seen evil, and the light blessing
Innocent love under a spring sky.
I have been Merlin wandering in the woods
Of a far country, where the winds waken
Unnatural voices, my mind broken
By a sudden acquaintance with man’s rage.
I have been Glyn Dwr set in the vast night,
Scanning the stars for the propitious omen,
A leader of men, yet cursed by the crazed women
Mourning their dead under the same stars.
I have been Goronwy, forced from my own land
To taste the bitterness of the salt ocean;
I have known exile and a wild passion
Of longing changing to a cold ache.
King, beggar and fool, I have been all by turns,
Knowing the body’s sweetness, the mind’s treason;
Taliesin still, I show you a new world, risen,
Stubborn with beauty, out of the heart’s need.
(R S Thomas)
More Poetry from R S Thomas:
R S Thomas Poems based on Topics: R. S. Thomas Poems about Man, R. S. Thomas Poems about Mind, R. S. Thomas Poems about Time, Light, R. S. Thomas Poems about World, R. S. Thomas Poems about Night, R. S. Thomas Poems about History, Body, R. S. Thomas Poems about Beauty, Spring, Kings & Queens- Thirteen Blackbirds Looking at a Man (R S Thomas Poems)
- A Welsh Testament (R S Thomas Poems)
- Welsh Landscape (R S Thomas Poems)
- Welsh History (R S Thomas Poems)
- The Face (R S Thomas Poems)
- A Peasant (R S Thomas Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, World Poems, Night Poems, Light Poems, Mind Poems, Time Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Beauty Poems, Spring Poems, Anger Poems, Body PoemsBased on Keywords: glyn, dwr, taliesin, goronwy