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TWO crownèd Kings, and One that stood alone
With no green weight of laurels round his head,
But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,
And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan
For sins no bleating victim can atone,
And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.
Girt was he in a garment black and red,
And at his feet I marked a broken stone
Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.
Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame
I cried to Beatricé, 'Who are these?'
And she made answer, knowing well each name,
'Æschylos first, the second Sophokles,
And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides.'
Oscar Wilde
Read poems about / on: sad, green, red, alone, heart, kiss
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Click here to write your comments about this poem (A Vision by Oscar Wilde)
Janri Gogeshvili (5/9/2008 11:01:00 AM)
Oscar Wilde Also it is unique as Oscar Wilde... |
Michael Pruchnicki (5/9/2008 9:22:00 AM)
The crowned kings are the Greek tragic playwrights Aeschylos
and Sophocles, awarded laurel crowns fot their successful plays
performed in Athens. The one uncrowned was their younger
contemporary Euripides, who was castigated and eventually fled
from Athens. The anonymous speaker is Wilde who was forced
from the public light and imprisoned for alleged homosexuality.
The cry to Beatrice refers to Dante who was forced to flee his
political enemies in Italy.
The plays by Euripides are almost modern in their treatment of
social issues like homosexuality and women's rights, so it seems
natural that Wilde himself interested in these issues would identify
with both Euripides and Dante.
The 'wide stream of tears' are shed for both Euripides and Wilde,
who has been portrayed in paintings as holding a white lily, almost
dove-like in their suggestion of his innocence! |
Read all 4 comments >>
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Oscar Wilde
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