Old Road to Paradise

By Margaret Widdemer

This book is a collection of poems by Margaret Widdemer, winner of the Pulitzer prize in poetry. Written from a woman's point of view with some dedicated to female poets like Widdemer. The book is divided into sections namely: "The Old Road to Paradise", "The Singing Wood", "Being Young", "Womenfolk", "People", "Wistfulness", and "Love Songs".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Good Press
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 4064066430405

Book preview

Margaret Widdemer

Old Road to Paradise

Published by Good Press, 2022

[e-mail]

EAN 4064066430405

Table of Contents

THE OLD KINGS

ST. JEANNE RIDES OUT

A BALLAD OF THE WISE MEN

NEXT YEAR

HOMES

FATHER PRAYER

GOOD-BY, MY LOVER

POEM FOR A PICTURE

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

THE GRAY MAGICIAN

THE DANCERS

THE GYPSY STAR

THE FAUN'S SWEETHEART

DREAM-HOUSE

GARDEN DREAM

SWAN-CHILD

CHANGELING

SONGS FROM A MASQUE

THE WOODFOLK SWEEP THROUGH

SWANHILD SINGS UNSEEN

SWANHILD SINGS TO THE KNIGHT

UNSPELLED

THE SINGING WOOD

WHISTLE-FANTASY

ONCE WHEN WE BOUGHT VALENTINES

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GIRL

THE GARDEN

OCTOBER

HEART OF YOUTH

SONG: I WISH I WERE OLD NOW

TO YOUTH AFTER PAIN

OLD BOOKS

THE WIRES

WOMEN

EMBROIDERY

TEA

DREAM DEATH

TOYS

MOTHER-PRAYER

THREE STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT

OLD TALES

THE GRAY MASK

THE SEEKER

A LOST COMRADE

DEPARTURE

DISCOVERY

WOMAN-LORE

THE UNFOUND CITY

THE DARK CAVALIER

TRAVEL PRAYER

HIS MOTHER

IN AN OFFICE BUILDING

GOD'S PLACES

PEOPLE

A BOY OF THE GHETTO

LIFE TELLS THE DREAMER

PRESCIENCE

I TELL MY HEART

FULFILMENT

ONCE I MET HAPPINESS

DENIAL

THE MASTERS

I SAID, LOVE IS GONE

VAIN HIDING

MARY, HELPER OF HEARTBREAK

INTERIM

OTHER PEOPLE

AND IF YOU CAME–

I WAS STILL A CHILD

PEACE

ONE WORSE THING

GIVERS

I TOOK HIS DREAMS

CERTAINTIES

SONG: KIND ADIEU

I DID NOT KNOW

AN AFTERNOON

THE WOOD-PATH

WARNING

OURS is a dark Easter-tide,

And a scarlet Spring,

But high up at Heaven-Gate

All the saints sing,

Glad for the great companies

Returning to their King.

Oh, in youth the dawn's a rose,

Dusk's an amethyst,

All the roads from dusk to dawn

Gay they wind and twist;

The old road to Paradise

Easy it is missed!

But out on the wet battlefields,

Few the roadways wind,

One to grief, one to death

No road that's kind–

The old road to Paradise

Plain it is to find!

(Martin in his Colonel's cloak,

Joan in her mail,

David with his crown and sword–

None there be that fail–

Down the road to Paradise

Stand to greet and hail!)

Where the dark's a terror-thing,

Morn a hope doubt-tossed.

Where the lads lie thinking long

Out in rain and frost,

There they find their God again,

Long ago they lost:

Where the night comes cruelly,

Where the hurt men moan,

Where the crushed forgotten ones

Whisper prayers alone,

Christ along the battlefields

Comes to lead His own:

Souls that would have withered soon

In the hot world's glare,

Blown and gone like shriveled things,

Dusty on the air,

Rank on rank they follow Him,

Young and strong and fair!

Ours is a sad Easter-tide,

And a woeful day,

But high up at Heaven-Gate

The saints are all gay,

For the old road to Paradise,

That's a crowded way!

THE OLD KINGS

Table of Contents

ALL of the Old Kings

Are wakened from their sleep,

Arthur out of Avalon,

Ogier from the deep,

Redbeard from his Dragon-Rock,

Sigurd from his fen . . .

Is it time, they rise and cry,

To lead our hosts again?

They have donned their wingéd helms,

They would rise and reign,

The young king Sebastian,

The old king Charlemagne,

Harold with his great bow,

Roland with his horn . . .

Men have heard their horses' hoofs

Many a scarlet morn!

The Old Kings have risen . . .

Where the hosts advance

Redbeard cries his Germans on,

Karle cries out for France,

Up and down the battlefield

Ghostly armies beat,

Stilly