Ptomaine Street by Carolyn Wells
page 74 of 113 (65%)
page 74 of 113 (65%)
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'Now in the porches of your soul I stand
Where once I stood; Fed and forgiven by a liberal hand, My broken boyhood is renewed. 'You are my bread and honey, set among A grove of spice; An ever brimming cup; a lyric sung After the thundering battle-cries. 'You are my well-loved earth, forever fresh, Forever prodigal, forever fond, As, from the sweet fulfilment of the flesh, I reach beyond.'" Noting that Warble was still awake, Petticoat discoursed: "In the first line, we note the influence of Swinburne. There could be no better start out. The Swinburne collocation of delicate bosom and death is both arrestive and interesting. The third and fourth lines denote the influence of Poe. To be sure, 'a warm Elysium' sounds like a new and appetizing soft drink, but that is not what is meant; and the sea is indubitably the one that sounded around the tomb of Miss Annabel Lee. "The second stanza opens under pure Tennysonian influences. This may not be clear at first to the beginner in influence tracing, but it is unmistakably so to the expert. The recurring sibilants, the sound without sense, the fine architectural imagery, all point to the great Lady Alfred. The latter half of this stanza is due entirely to the strong influence of D. W. Griffith. The poem was, without doubt, written after the poet had been to |
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