Knowledge
Now that I know How passion warms little Of flesh in the mould, And treasure is brittle, —
I'll lie here and learn How, over their ground, Trees make a long shadow And a light sound.
Louise Bogan
Now that I know How passion warms little Of flesh in the mould, And treasure is brittle, —
I'll lie here and learn How, over their ground, Trees make a long shadow And a light sound.
At its heart, “Knowledge” is about letting go. The speaker has realized that passion cannot warm a body once it is in the grave, and that even treasure eventually breaks. These are old, painful truths, but the poem does not rage against them.
Read the full summary