Diana of the Hunt by Forceythe Willson

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend July 27, 2014   Diana of the Hunt   Forceythe Willson

All can see, in the shining places, Vestiges of her classic graces; Where her footsteps, fleet and stark, Have beautifully embossed the dark. We know indeed, that the stately and golden Antlers, hunters and heroes olden, Wood-nymph, satyr, and sylvan faun.— Goddess and stag, are gone!—all gone! But still,—as strange as it may appear,— Sometimes when the nights are bright and clear, The long-breathed hounds are heard to bay Over the hills and far away! And lovers who walk at Love’s high Noon, See something flash in the light of the moon, As a shining stag swept through the sky, And the chase of the goddess were up, on high. But be this as it may, in sooth, It is only in the pursuit of Truth, That the Soul shall overtake and possess The most exalted Happiness.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “Diana of the Hunt” was originally published in Willson’s 1867 collection The Old Sergeant and Other Poems.   Forceythe Willson was born in Little Genesee, New York, in 1837. “The Old Sergeant” became his most famous poem and was praised by notable figures like Abraham Lincoln and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Willson died in Alfred, New York, in 1867. Poetry by Willson   The Old Sergeant and Other Poems (General Books, 2010) "The Last Known Sighting of the Mapinguari" by Traci Brimhall "Token Loss" by Kay Ryan "Complaint of Achilles’ Heel" by Charles Jensen Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038