Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Clouded and Confused
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), My Books:
Anonymous (English, 17th century), Portrait of a Bibliophile
Newer› ‹Older
Sadly as some old mediaeval knightLongfellow was 74 years old when he wrote this.
Gazed at the arms he could no longer wield,
The sword two-handed and the shining shield
Suspended in the hall, and full in sight,
While secret longings for the lost delight
Of tourney or adventure in the field
Came over him, and tears but half concealed
Trembled and fell upon his beard of white,
So I behold these books upon their shelf,
My ornaments and arms of other days;
Not wholly useless, though no longer used,
For they remind me of my other self,
Younger and stronger, and the pleasant ways,
In which I walked, now clouded and confused.
