The Mind

Foreign Speech

by Edward Dowden 1843–1913

From Poems (1914)

The Mind

Ah, do not tell me what they mean,
The tremulous brook, the scarcely stirred
June leaves, the hum of things unseen,
This sovran bird.

Do they say things so deep, and rare,
And perfect? I can only tell
That they are happy, and can bear
Such ignorance well;

Feeding on all things said and sung
From hour to hour in this high wood
Articulate in a strange, sweet tongue
Not understood.

✦ ✦ ✦

Dated 1868.

MLA

Dowden, Edward. “Foreign Speech.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/dowden/50/.

Chicago

Dowden, Edward. “Foreign Speech.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/dowden/50/.

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