]> 2026-04-21T21:48:26+02:00 Cities 0 en https://archive.org/details/collectedpoemsof0000hdhi/page/58/mode/2up Poetry 44-46 Cities 1916 2026-04-08T21:31:07Z 2461139.3966088 Cities https://archive.org/details/collectedpoemsof0000hdhi/page/58/mode/2up Property:Has author Property:Has genre Property:Has journal Property:Has publisher Property:Has year of publication Property:Has page range Property:Has additional information H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)  Bibliographic Information Author H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) Genre Poetry Journal or Book - Publisher - Year of Publication 1916 Pages 44-46 Additional information https://archive.org/details/collectedpoemsof0000hdhi/page/58/mode/2up metaphysics Can we believe—by an effort comfort our hearts: it is not waste all this, not placed here in disgust, street after street, each patterned alike, no grace to lighten a single house of the hundred crowded into one garden-space. street town urban affect Crowded—can we believe, not in utter disgust, in ironical play— but the maker of cities grew faint with the beauty of temple and space before temple, arch upon perfect arch, of pillars and corridors that led out to strange court-yards and porches where sun-light stamped hyacinth-shadows black on the pavement. urban town architecture affect road That the maker of cities grew faint with the splendour of palaces, paused while the incense-flowers from the incense-trees dropped on the marble-walk, thought anew, fashioned this— street after street alike. urban town metaphor plant tree roadside road affect For alas, he had crowded the city so full that men could not grasp beauty, beauty was over them, through them, about them, no crevice unpacked with the honey, rare, measureless. So he built a new city, ah can we believe, not ironically but for new splendour constructed new people to lift through slow growth to a beauty unrivalled yet— and created new cells, hideous first, hideous now— spread larve across them, not honey but seething life. And in these dark cells, packed street after street, souls live, hideous yet— O disfigured, defaced, with no trace of the beauty men once held so light. street town urban affect Can we think a few old cells were left—we are left— grains of honey, old dust of stray pollen dull on our torn wings, we are left to recall the old streets ? street town urban affect nostalgia Is our task the less sweet that the larve still sleep in their cells? Or crawl out to attack our frail strength: You are useless. We live. We await great events. We are spread through this earth. We protect our strong race. You are useless. Your cell takes the place of our young future strength. Though they sleep or wake to torment and wish to displace our old cells— thin rare gold— that their larve grow fat— is our task the less sweet? Though we wander about, find no honey of flowers in this waste, is our task the less sweet— who recall the old splendour, await the new beauty of cities? 0 0 plainlist 1 [[:Cities]] Cities# QUERYfcea38f0e22fc538fb0f9ec6a296e9a2 0 [2,"smw_emptystring"] Cities# ERR9aff14ed76703d02fa9d26d7a3a3486a 0 caucasian female Poetry metaphysics american 1 <div class="poem"> </div> 1916 Cities# 06e54eaeaddfc2ff61f2fe063cd28ff7 0 caucasian female Poetry street town urban affect american 2 <div class="poem"> <p>Can we believe—by an effort<br /> comfort our hearts:<br /> it is not waste all this,<br /> not placed here in disgust,<br /> street after street,<br /> each patterned alike,<br /> no grace to lighten<br /> a single house of the hundred<br /> crowded into one garden-space. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 69820629b7d00cd7182ec6c89ae3752f 0 caucasian female Poetry urban town architecture affect road american 3 <div class="poem"> <p>Crowded—can we believe,<br /> not in utter disgust,<br /> in ironical play—<br /> but the maker of cities grew faint<br /> with the beauty of temple<br /> and space before temple,<br /> arch upon perfect arch,<br /> of pillars and corridors that led out<br /> to strange court-yards and porches<br /> where sun-light stamped<br /> hyacinth-shadows<br /> black on the pavement. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 56a399c33c94e7fb5824b82148d21b93 0 caucasian female Poetry urban town metaphor plant tree roadside road affect american 4 <div class="poem"> <p>That the maker of cities grew faint<br /> with the splendour of palaces,<br /> paused while the incense-flowers<br /> from the incense-trees<br /> dropped on the marble-walk,<br /> thought anew, fashioned this—<br /> street after street alike. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 9529089b652355bdc2e5b52a6a5c777e 0 caucasian female Poetry american 5 <div class="poem"> <p>For alas,<br /> he had crowded the city so full<br /> that men could not grasp beauty,<br /> beauty was over them,<br /> through them, about them,<br /> no crevice unpacked with the honey,<br /> rare, measureless. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# ca52aef2d262b38d32a43b5b2601f102 0 caucasian female Poetry american 6 <div class="poem"> <p>So he built a new city,<br /> ah can we believe, not ironically<br /> but for new splendour<br /> constructed new people<br /> to lift through slow growth<br /> to a beauty unrivalled yet—<br /> and created new cells,<br /> hideous first, hideous now—<br /> spread larve across them,<br /> not honey but seething life. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 22d8e2927c833d28ff64f24305a8d6e7 0 caucasian female Poetry street town urban affect american 7 <div class="poem"> <p>And in these dark cells,<br /> packed street after street,<br /> souls live, hideous yet—<br /> O disfigured, defaced,<br /> with no trace of the beauty<br /> men once held so light. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 2eecf90871eb0c357b6c71ba58e15cf7 0 caucasian female Poetry street town urban affect nostalgia american 8 <div class="poem"> <p>Can we think a few old cells<br /> were left—we are left—<br /> grains of honey,<br /> old dust of stray pollen<br /> dull on our torn wings,<br /> we are left to recall the old streets ? </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 3ca4959263ea32327db389b698aaf0f3 0 caucasian female Poetry american 9 <div class="poem"> <p>Is our task the less sweet<br /> that the larve still sleep in their cells?<br /> Or crawl out to attack our frail strength: </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 7542c8b1475c96c41b215879c4520356 0 caucasian female Poetry american 10 <div class="poem"> <p>You are useless. We live.<br /> We await great events.<br /> We are spread through this earth.<br /> We protect our strong race.<br /> You are useless.<br /> Your cell takes the place<br /> of our young future strength. </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 1128b92b679f27bb63ca1b8b2d10ec29 0 caucasian female Poetry american 11 <div class="poem"> <p>Though they sleep or wake to torment<br /> and wish to displace our old cells—<br /> thin rare gold—<br /> that their larve grow fat—<br /> is our task the less sweet? </p> </div> 1916 Cities# b0464c32fea86c27d7e42929dc2ba7ba 0 caucasian female Poetry american 12 <div class="poem"> <p>Though we wander about,<br /> find no honey of flowers in this waste,<br /> is our task the less sweet—<br /> who recall the old splendour,<br /> await the new beauty of cities? </p> </div> 1916 Cities# 78baf2382eb9d0c465de538ae19e57b0 Has parent page 102 en Has parent page