Poem by Thomas Hardy

Thoughts at Midnight

Mankind, you dismay me
When shadows waylay me! –
Not by your splendours
Do you affray me,
Not as pretenders
To demonic keenness,
Not by your meanness,
Nor your ill-teachings,
Nor your false preachings,
Nor your banalities
And immoralities,
Nor by your daring
Nor sinister bearing;
But by your madnesses
Capping cool badnesses,
Acting like puppets
Under Time’s buffets;
In superstitions
And ambitions
Moved by no wisdom,
Far-sight, or system,
Led by sheer senselessness
And presciencelessness
Into unreason
And hideous self-treason...
God, look he on you,
Have mercy upon you!

1. The Supplanter
2. Song from Heine
3. In the Vaulted Way
4. To an Impersonator of Rosalind
5. The Place on the Map

Print

1046 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version