Skip to content

Stephen Crane

I stood upon a high place,

And saw, below, many devils

Running, leaping,

And carousing in sin.

Read full poem →

adjective

Engaged in or ready for action; characterized by energetic work, thought, or speech.

The students were very active in class discussions, asking many thoughtful questions.

Know more →

IV

32 lines
Arthur Hugh Clough·1819–1861
es, I have lied, and so must walk my way,Bearing the liar’s curse upon my head;Letting my weak and sickly heart be fedOn food which does the present craving stay,But may be clean-denied me e’en to-day,And tho’ ’twere certain, yet were ought but bread;Letting—for so they say, it seems, I said,And I am all too weak to disobey!Therefore for me sweet Nature’s scenes reveal notTheir charm; sweet Music greets me and I feel notSweet eyes pass off me uninspired; yea, more,The golden tide of opportunityFlows wafting-in friendships and better,—IUnseeing, listless, pace along the shore. V How often sit I, poring o’erMy strange distorted youth,Seeking in vain, in all my store,One feeling based on truth;Amid the maze of petty lifeA clue whereby to move,A spot whereon in toil and strifeTo dare to rest and love.So constant as my heart would be,So fickle as it must,’Twere well for others as for me’Twere dry as summer dust.Excitements come, and act and speechFlow freely forth;—but no,Nor they, nor ought beside can reachThe buried world below. 1841