The Poems of Sara Teasdale

I saw a poem called The Crystal Gazer in a newspaper this week and just loved it's clarity and simpleness that said so much. It prompted me to look at other works by the poet, American Sara Teasdale, who lived from 1884-1933. I've only read a few of her poems so far, but I found them simply wonderful! The Unchanging has been my favourite so far, in so few words it captures the permanence of nature, how fleeting our little lives are, yet despite this, how the human spirit remains much the same. How I wish I could write about such major themes of life as concisely as she can! I've decided to change the title of my blog to The Crystal Gazer because as much as I love Bono's quote, it is a bit too long for a blog title!

Below I've posted The Unchanging and also The Crystal Gazer. If you would like to read more of Sara Teasdale's poetry you can find all her poems on: http://www.poemhunter.com/sarah-teasdale/poems/page-1/



The Unchanging

Sun-swept beaches with a light wind blowing
From the immense blue circle of the sea,
And the soft thunder where long waves whiten --
These were the same for Sappho as for me.

Two thousand years -- much has gone by forever,
Change takes the gods and ships and speech of men --
But here on the beaches that time passes over
The heart aches now as then.


The Crystal Gazer

I shall gather myself into my self again,
I shall take my scattered selves and make them one.
I shall fuse them into a polished crystal ball
Where I can see the moon and the flashing sun.
I shall sit like a sibyl, hour after hour intent.
Watching the future come and the present go -
And the little shifting pictures of people rushing
In tiny self-importance to and fro