The House-top by Herman Melville

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend July 5, 2014   The House-top   Herman Melville

A Night Piece (July, 1863)   No sleep. The sultriness pervades the air And binds the brain—a dense oppression, such As tawny tigers feel in matted shades, Vexing their blood and making apt for ravage. Beneath the stars the roofy desert spreads Vacant as Libya. All is hushed near by. Yet fitfully from far breaks a mixed surf Of muffled sound, the Atheist roar of riot. Yonder, where parching Sirius set in drought, Balefully glares red Arson—there—and there. The Town is taken by its rats—ship-rats. And rats of the wharves. All civil charms And priestly spells which late held hearts in awe— Fear-bound, subjected to a better sway Than sway of self; these like a dream dissolve, And man rebounds whole æons back in nature. Hail to the low dull rumble, dull and dead, And ponderous drag that shakes the wall. Wise Draco comes, deep in the midnight roll Of black artillery; he comes, though late; In code corroborating Calvin's creed And cynic tyrannies of honest kings; He comes, nor parlies; and the Town redeemed, Give thanks devout; nor, being thankful, heeds The grimy slur on the Republic’s faith implied, Which holds that Man is naturally good, And—more—is Nature's Roman, never to be scourged.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “The House-top” by Herman Melville was published in his collection Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866).   Born in 1819, Herman Melville is best known for the novel Moby-Dick (1851). Melville’s first published book of poems was Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866). He died on September 28, 1891. Poetry by Melville   Herman Melville, Selected Poems (Kessinger Publishing, 2009) “Handshake Histories” by Jeff Hoffman “Last Century” by Wyatt Prunty “Psalm” by Vanessa Place Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.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