Camma Poem by Oscar Wilde

Camma

Rating: 3.0


AS one who poring on a Grecian urn
Scans the fair shapes some Attic hand hath made,
God with slim goddess, goodly man with maid,
And for their beauty's sake is loth to turn
And face the obvious day, must I not yearn
For many a secret moon of indolent bliss,
When in the midmost shrine of Artemis
I see thee standing, antique-limbed, and stern?

And yet--methinks I'd rather see thee play
That serpent of old Nile, whose witchery
Made Emperors drunken,--come, great Egypt, shake
Our stage with all thy mimic pageants! Nay,
I am grown sick of unreal passions, make
The world thine Actium, me thine Antony!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Joseph-ybholy Chikeleze 27 September 2014

i love this poem so much

1 0 Reply
Douglas Scotney 27 September 2013

Is it that art has begun to make him sick? or just Greek art?

0 0 Reply
Liliana ~el 27 September 2013

Seems well-structured. I need some background knowledge though :)

0 0 Reply
Karen Sinclair 27 September 2012

I adore the first two lines as i believe he is suggesting the form he lays eyes on was made by some attic hand (god) and he compares the form to the greek gods....antique limbed and stern? (he questions) ... interesting, i think maybe the silence after an argument....it seems he then toys with the idea of fun and amusement but by the end (to me) it seems he is just resigned and lost interest in the shallowest forms and places....... the world thine actium (final battle) and me thine anthony (defeated) suggesting he knew he was always going to adore the subject no matter what his sense told him......this is so real and contemporary... plz note this is just my perception and first reaction....tyvm karen

3 1 Reply
Ramesh T A 27 September 2011

Love passion has brought down many empires in old Greek as well as in Egypt one comes to know from World History and as in the Urns of the past searching in antic shops! Real passion is far more better than old sickening passion that is quite unreal indeed!

1 1 Reply
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Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde

Dublin / Ireland
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