109. I am Weary of Being Bitter by Arthur Davison Ficke. Monroe, Harriet, ed. 1917. The New Poetry: An Anthology

Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). The New Poetry: An Anthology. 1917.

109. I am Weary of Being Bitter

By Arthur Davison Ficke


I AM weary of being bitter and weary of being wise,
And the armor and the mask of these fall from me, after long.
I would go where the islands sleep, or where the sea-dawns rise,
And lose my bitter wisdom in the wisdom of a song.

There are magics in melodies, unknown of the sages;	5
The powers of purest wonder on secret wings go by.
Doubtless out of the silence of dumb preceding ages
Song woke the chaos-world—and light swept the sky.

All that we know is idle; idle is all we cherish;
Idle the will that takes loads that proclaim it strong.	10
For the knowledge, the strength, the burden—all shall perish:
One thing only endures, one thing only—song.