Sonnet—Mutation by William Cullen Bryant

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend December 20, 2015   Sonnet—Mutation   William Cullen Bryant

They talk of short-lived pleasure—be it so— Pain dies as quickly: stern, hard-featured pain Expires, and lets her weary prisoner go. The fiercest agonies have shortest reign; And after dreams of horror, comes again The welcome morning with its rays of peace. Oblivion, softly wiping out the stain, Makes the strong secret pangs of shame to cease: Remorse is virtue’s root; its fair increase Are fruits of innocence and blessedness: Thus joy, o’erborne and bound, doth still release His young limbs from the chains that round him press. Weep not that the world changes—did it keep A stable changeless state, ’twere cause indeed to weep.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “Sonnet—Mutation” first appeared in The United States Literary Gazette in 1824. It was later published in Bryant’s book Poems (Russell, Odiorne, and Metcalf, 1834).   William Cullen Bryant was born on November 3, 1794. A poet and journalist, he wrote many pieces championing the rights of workers and immigrants. He was the editor in chief of the New York Evening Post from 1829 until his death in 1878. Poetry by Bryant   Thanatopsis, Sella, and Other Poems (Forgotten Books, 2015) "Sonnet VII [O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell]" by John Keats "Cheerfulness Taught by Reason" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning "Wonder and Joy" by Robinson Jeffers Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.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