All is not right with him, who ill sustains
Retirement's silent hours. - Himself he flies,
Perchance from that insipid equipoise,
Which always with the hapless mind remains
That feels no native bias; never gains
One energy of will, that does not rise
From some external cause, to which he hies
From his own blank inanity. - When reigns,
With a strong, cultur'd mind, this wretched hate
To commune with himself, from thought that tells
Of some lost joy, or dreaded stroke of Fate
He struggles to escape; - or sense that dwells
On secret guilt towards God, or Man, with weight
Thrice dire, the self-exiling flight impels.
Sonnet Xciv
Anna Seward
(1)
Poem topics: fate, god, hate, joy, lost, never, retirement, rise, flight, sense, strong, silent, secret, energy, thought, native, mind, Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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About Sonnet Xciv
Sonnet Xciv is a poem by Anna Seward. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.