Nature

“i Was the Midmost”

by Thomas Hardy 1840–1928

From Late Lyrics and Earlier, With Many Other Verses

Nature

I WAS the midmost of my world
When first I frisked me free,
For though within its circuit gleamed
But a small company,
And I was immature, they seemed
To bend their looks on me.

She was the midmost of my world
When I went further forth,
And hence it was that, whether I turned
To south, east, west, or north,
Beams of an all-day Polestar burned
From that new axe of earth.

Where now is midmost in my world?
I trace it not at all:
No midmost shows it here, or there,
When wistful voices call
“We are fain! We are fain!” from everywhere
On Earth’s bewildering ball!

MLA

Hardy, Thomas. ““i Was the Midmost”.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/493/.

Chicago

Hardy, Thomas. ““i Was the Midmost”.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/493/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Thomas Hardy