Work Without Hope by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Work Without Hope
by
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair—
The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing—
And Winter slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,
Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,
Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.
Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,
For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!
With lips unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll:
And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?
Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hope without an object cannot live.

This poem is in the public domain.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 -1834) was an English poet, literary critic and lecturer, and is considered one of the most influential poets of the Romantic period. A loner who loved to read and enjoyed writing poetry even as a child, Samuel suffered from poor health throughout his entire life—a condition not helped by his addiction to opium and his ongoing depression. His was not a happy life, but he left behind a significant legacy.

John:
An odd sort-of sonnet, speaking of the depression mentioned in the description. But "Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve," that's a fine line.
Posted 03/01/2014 09:17 AM

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