PoemHunter.com   
Portrait of a Boy by Stephen Vincent Benet   
Participate in our survey Search:
Search Poems, Poets, Quotations and Lyrics   
Home Poets Poems Lyrics Quotations Music Forum Member Area Poetry E-Books
 
Stephen Vincent Benet
#302
on top 500 Poets
Stephen Vincent Benet
(1898 - 1943 / Pennsylvania / United States)
33 poems of Stephen Vincent Benet
click to download
Poet's Page  Biography  Poems  Quotations  Comments   Stats  
 
<< prev. poem Poems by Stephen Vincent Benet : 31 / 53 next poem >>
  
  Portrait of a Boy

User Rating:

9.8 /10
(4 votes)



  After the whipping he crawled into bed,
Accepting the harsh fact with no great weeping.
How funny uncle's hat had looked striped red!
He chuckled silently. The moon came, sweeping
A black, frayed rag of tattered cloud before
In scorning; very pure and pale she seemed,
Flooding his bed with radiance. On the floor
Fat motes danced. He sobbed, closed his eyes and dreamed.

Warm sand flowed round him. Blurts of crimson light
Splashed the white grains like blood. Past the cave's mouth
Shone with a large, fierce splendor, wildly bright,
The crooked constellations of the South;
Here the Cross swung; and there, affronting Mars,
The Centaur stormed aside a froth of stars.
Within, great casks, like wattled aldermen,
Sighed of enormous feasts, and cloth of gold
Glowed on the walls like hot desire. Again,
Beside webbed purples from some galleon's hold,
A black chest bore the skull and bones in white
Above a scrawled "Gunpowder!" By the flames,
Decked out in crimson, gemmed with syenite,
Hailing their fellows with outrageous names,
The pirates sat and diced. Their eyes were moons.
"Doubloons!" they said. The words crashed gold. "Doubloons!"


Stephen Vincent Benet

Submitted Date Friday, January 03, 2003



Read poems about / on: funny, moon, red, light, dance, dream, star

<< prev. poem Poems by Stephen Vincent Benet : 31 / 53 next poem >>
 
  Comments about this poem (Portrait of a Boy by Stephen Vincent Benet )

There is no comment submitted by members..

 
PoemHunter.com Updates

02.17.2012/ Modern Poem of The Day
'Traveling Through The Dark' by William Stafford

02.16.2012/ Poem of The Day from a Member
'The Idea Of An Idea' by Salema Khatun

'Narrating the Arab Spring' Conference
Cairo University February 18-20 2012

02.16.2012/ Modern Poem of The Day
'Legend' by Harold Hart Crane

Happy Birthday Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov!
(1866–1949) Russian poet and playwright

 
 
  Top 500 Poems

  1. Phenomenal Woman
    Maya Angelou
  2. Still I Rise
    Maya Angelou
  3. If You Forget Me
    Pablo Neruda
  4. Dreams
    Langston Hughes
  5. The Road Not Taken
    Robert Frost
  6. Annabel Lee
    Edgar Allan Poe
  7. I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
    Pablo Neruda
  8. If
    Rudyard Kipling
  9. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Maya Angelou
  10. A Dream Within A Dream
    Edgar Allan Poe
The complete list of Top 500 Poems >>
 
 

(c) Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge..  About Us | Copyright notice | Privacy statement | Help
2/17/2012 6:35:28 AM. #.# You Are Here: Portrait of a Boy by Stephen Vincent Benet

Home | Poets | Poems | Free Poetry eBooks | Contests | Sites | Submit a Poem | Manage Your Poems | Game Gar | Oyun | Contact Us

Christmas Poems | Love Poems | Pablo Neruda | Death Poems | Sad Poems | Birthday Poems | Wedding Poems | Nature Poems | Sorry Poems 

[Hata Bildir]