Ted Hughes - How To Paint A Water Lily

Ted Hughes - How To Paint A Water Lily

To Paint a Water Lily br br A green level of lily leaves br Roofs the pond's chamber and paves br br The flies' furious arena: study br These, the two minds of this lady. br br First observe the air's dragonfly br That eats meat, that bullets by br br Or stands in space to take aim; br Others as dangerous comb the hum br br Under the trees. There are battle-shouts br And death-cries everywhere hereabouts br br But inaudible, so the eyes praise br To see the colours of these flies br br Rainbow their arcs, spark, or settle br Cooling like beads of molten metal br br Through the spectrum. Think what worse br is the pond-bed's matter of course; br br Prehistoric bedragoned times br Crawl that darkness with Latin names, br br Have evolved no improvements there, br Jaws for heads, the set stare, br br Ignorant of age as of hour— br Now paint the long-necked lily-flower br br Which, deep in both worlds, can be still br As a painting, trembling hardly at all br br Though the dragonfly alight, br Whatever horror nudge her root.


User: PoemHunter.com

Views: 79

Uploaded: 2014-11-07

Duration: 01:29

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