 Share
|
Email
Print
|
Incurable and unbelieving
In any truth but the truth of grieving,
I saw a tree inside a tree
Rise kaleidoscopically
As if the leaves had livelier ghosts.
I pressed my face as close
To the pane as I could get
To watch that fitful, fluent spirit
That seemed a single being undefined
Or countless beings of one mind
Haul its strange cohesion
Beyond the limits of my vision
Over the house heavenwards.
Of course I knew those leaves were birds.
Of course that old tree stood
Exactly as it had and would
(But why should it seem fuller now?)
And though a man’s mind might endow
Even a tree with some excess
Of life to which a man seems witness,
That life is not the life of men.
And that is where the joy came in.
National Portrait Gallery
|
The Civil War
President Obama reflects on what Lincoln means to him and to America, in an introduction to our special issue. Read more › |
The Wolf I Used to Be...
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Video Documentary: The Impact of a Principal
James Fallows on Obama's first term, Raymond Bonner on the death penalty, Christopher Hitchens on G.K. Chesterton, and more
Browse back issues of The Atlantic that have appeared on the Web. From September 1995 to the present, the archive is essentially complete, with the exception of a few articles, the online rights to which are held exclusively by the authors.
See All Back Issues: September 1995
Sandusky Accused of 'Inappropriately' Touching His Grandson
Leave the Valentine's Day Google Doodle Alone
Rick Santorum's National Surge Continues
S.F. Mayor Wants Tony Bennett on Every Radio
Not Every City Can Be the 'Most Bicycle-Friendly'
Why America Keeps Getting More Conservative
Join the Discussion
After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus