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Poem
February 1, 1917
The Fargo Forum And Daily Republican
Fargo, Cass County, North Dakota
What is this article about?
John Masefield's poem 'The Choice' contrasts the destructive pursuits of kings, merchants, and priests, which lead to ruin and illusion, with the redemptive simplicity of nature and beauty, urging a return to earth's purity to escape worldly prisons.
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Full Text
The Choice.
(Copyright,
1917, by
Contemporary
Verse.)
The kings go by with jeweled crowns;
Their horses gleam; their banners
shake; their spears are many.
The sack of many-peopled towns
Is all their dream.
The way they take
Leaves but a ruin in the brake
And, in the furrow that the plowmen
make,
A stampless penny; a tale, a dream.
The merchants reckon up their gold;
Their letters come; their ships arrive;
their freights are glories.
The profits of their treasures sold,
They tell and sum.
Their foremen drive
Their servants, starved to half-alive,
Whose labors do but make the earth
a hive
Of stinking stories; a tale, a dream.
The priests are singing in their stalls:
Their singing lifts; their incense
burns; their praying clamors.
Yet God is as the sparrow falls.
The ivy drifts,
The votive urns
Are all left void when Fortune turns.
The god is but a marble for the kerns
To break with hammers;
a tale,
a
dream.
O Beauty, let me know again
The green earth cold, the April rain,
the quiet waters figuring sky
The one star risen.
So shall I pass into the feast
Not touched by
king,
merchant,
or
priest;
Know the red spirit of the beast;
Be the green grain;
Escape from prison.
—John Masefield
in Contemporary
Poetry.
(Copyright,
1917, by
Contemporary
Verse.)
The kings go by with jeweled crowns;
Their horses gleam; their banners
shake; their spears are many.
The sack of many-peopled towns
Is all their dream.
The way they take
Leaves but a ruin in the brake
And, in the furrow that the plowmen
make,
A stampless penny; a tale, a dream.
The merchants reckon up their gold;
Their letters come; their ships arrive;
their freights are glories.
The profits of their treasures sold,
They tell and sum.
Their foremen drive
Their servants, starved to half-alive,
Whose labors do but make the earth
a hive
Of stinking stories; a tale, a dream.
The priests are singing in their stalls:
Their singing lifts; their incense
burns; their praying clamors.
Yet God is as the sparrow falls.
The ivy drifts,
The votive urns
Are all left void when Fortune turns.
The god is but a marble for the kerns
To break with hammers;
a tale,
a
dream.
O Beauty, let me know again
The green earth cold, the April rain,
the quiet waters figuring sky
The one star risen.
So shall I pass into the feast
Not touched by
king,
merchant,
or
priest;
Know the red spirit of the beast;
Be the green grain;
Escape from prison.
—John Masefield
in Contemporary
Poetry.
What sub-type of article is it?
Satire
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Satire Society
Nature Seasons
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Kings
Merchants
Priests
Beauty
Nature
Dream
Ruin
Escape
What entities or persons were involved?
—John Masefield In Contemporary Poetry.
Poem Details
Title
The Choice.
Author
—John Masefield In Contemporary Poetry.
Key Lines
O Beauty, Let Me Know Again
The Green Earth Cold, The April Rain,
The Quiet Waters Figuring Sky
The One Star Risen.
So Shall I Pass Into The Feast
Not Touched By
King,
Merchant,
Or
Priest;
Know The Red Spirit Of The Beast;
Be The Green Grain;
Escape From Prison.