A Sunrise Song. Poem by Sidney Lanier

A Sunrise Song.

Rating: 3.0


Young palmer sun, that to these shining sands
Pourest thy pilgrim's tale, discoursing still
Thy silver passages of sacred lands,
With news of Sepulchre and Dolorous Hill,

Canst thou be he that, yester-sunset warm,
Purple with Paynim rage and wrack desire,
Dashed ravening out of a dusty lair of Storm,
Harried the west, and set the world on fire?

Hast thou perchance repented, Saracen Sun?
Wilt warm the world with peace and dove-desire?
Or wilt thou, ere this very day be done,
Blaze Saladin still, with unforgiving fire?

A Sunrise Song.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Kevin Straw 11 October 2012

What a sloppy first verse! A pilgrim traveled to a certain place, the palmer visited everywhere. So the sun must be a pilgrim except that the sun has no certain place to go except round and round in the sky! And it certainly cannot be both! And how the sun can discourse is a mystery. The sun shines and that’s it. This is a meaningless metaphor. What in the activity or appearance of the sun can give the writer leave to have it tell a religious story?

2 6 Reply
Sanghamitra Nayak 26 September 2017

Wilt warm the world with peace and dove-desire? Great poem, thanks for sharing.

6 1 Reply
Abnish Singh Chauahan 23 April 2010

Beautiful use of symbol- the sun; a symbol of awakening, a symbol ob joy and hope, a symbol of courage and so on: so is the message of tyhis poem.

6 1 Reply
Ramesh T A 11 October 2011

Sun is the power of heat! What mercy can be expected from it? Atmosphere filters Sun's rays and saves Earth long! It is in man's hand to make or mar what the poet desires by this simple poem!

5 1 Reply
Michael Harmon 11 October 2009

Definition of 'palmer' from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary: Date: 13th century : a person wearing two crossed palm leaves as a sign of a pilgrimage made to the Holy Land Definition of “painim” (aka 'paynim') from Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary: A pagan; an infidel

4 1 Reply
Subhas Chandra Chakra 17 March 2018

Wilt warm the world with peace and dove-desire? Beautiful poem shared.

0 1 Reply
Susan Williams 17 March 2018

I think the more poems from his age I read the more comfortable I am with this style of writing- -he is certainly a poet with massive poetic skills

0 1 Reply
Dr Antony Theodore 17 March 2018

Hast thou perchance repented, Saracen Sun? Wilt warm the world with peace and dove-desire? fine and very meaningful word combinations adds beauty to the poem.... thank u dear poet.. tony

0 1 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 26 September 2017

Shining sands! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

0 1 Reply
Rajnish Manga 26 September 2017

A Sunrise Song- Sweet and dazzling like the rays of a morning sun. Thanks.

1 1 Reply
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