[Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are CAPITALIZED.Lines longer than 78 characters are broken and the continuationis indented two spaces. Some obvious errors may have been corrected.]
A Book of Poems
By Edwin Arlington Robinson
Author of "The Man Against the Sky", "Merlin, A Poem", etc.
[American (Maine) Poet. 1869-1935.]
To THOMAS SERGEANT PERRY and LILLA CABOT PERRY
Contents
The Valley of the Shadow
The Wandering Jew
Neighbors
The Mill
The Dark Hills
The Three Taverns
Demos I
Demos II
The Flying Dutchman
Tact
On the Way
John Brown
The False Gods
Archibald's Example
London Bridge
Tasker Norcross
A Song at Shannon's
Souvenir
Discovery
Firelight
The New Tenants
Inferential
The Rat
Rahel to Varnhagen
Nimmo
Peace on Earth
Late Summer
An Evangelist's Wife
The Old King's New Jester
Lazarus
Several poems included in this book appeared originallyin American periodicals, as follows: The Three Taverns, London Bridge,A Song at Shannon's, The New Tenants, Discovery, John Brown;Archibald's Example, The Valley of the Shadow; Nimmo; The Wandering Jew,Souvenir; Neighbors, Tact; Demos; The Mill, An Evangelist's Wife;Firelight; Late Summer; Inferential; The Flying Dutchman;On the Way, The False Gods; Peace on Earth; The Old King's New Jester.
—————————
The Three Taverns
—————————
There were faces to remember in the Valley of the Shadow,
There were faces unregarded, there were faces to forget;
There were fires of grief and fear that are a few forgotten ashes,
There were sparks of recognition that are not forgotten yet.
For at first, with an amazed and overwhelming indignation
At a measureless malfeasance that obscurely willed it thus,
They were lost and unacquainted — till they found themselves in others,
Who had groped as they were groping where dim ways were perilous.
There were lives that were as dark as are the fears and intuitions
Of a child who knows himself and is alone with what he knows;
There were pensioners of dreams and there were debtors of illusions,
All to fail before the triumph