George Gray (by Edgar Lee Masters)

Edgar Lee Masters US stamp

George Gray
by Edgar Lee Masters
from Spoon River Anthology [1915]

I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me—
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire—
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.



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Click here to read more of Spoon River Anthology in the Online Library

   

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Posted by Jesus Crisis at 12/26/2009 12:22 PM
Categories: Masters (Edgar Lee),Poetry,1900s,American
Tags: Spoon River Anthology 1915 Edgar Lee Masters American Poetry American Literature
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