 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
Spiritual Darkness
A darkness, like the middle of the night,Clouds in the morn, and e'en the mid-day hours;
Men wander round, as if devoid of sight,
Or led astray by false, deluding powers!
The wise knew not its coming, nor can tell
Whence fell this darkness, like a plague on all;
In vain they seek by knowledge to dispel
The gloom, that shrouds the earth as with a pall.
So, in eclipse, the sun withdraws his light,
Or sheds a pale, and ineffectual ray;
The flowers close up, as at the approach of night,
171
The stars appear, and with faint lustre burn,
Watching, from their far heights, the sun's return.
Poem No. 5; fall 1838–summer 1839
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |