Oh poetry friends, today I have a deeply swoon-worthy poem for you from a new-to-me female poet whose work I’ve quickly come to adore. Sara Treavor Teasdale wrote a number of volumes of poetry and won several prestigious awards for her works. She lived a tragic life, but produced dozens of beautiful poems before ending her own life at the age of 49.
In 1914 Teasdale married Ernst Filsinger, who is presumably the inspiration behind her poem, To E.
To E
Sara Teasdale
The door was opened and I saw you there
And for the first time heard you speak my name.
Then like the sun your sweetness overcame
My shy and shadowy mood; I was aware
That joy was hidden in your happy hair,
And that for you love held no hint of shame;
My eyes caught light from yours, within whose flame
Humor and passion have an equal share.
How many times since then have I not seen
Your great eyes widen when you talk of love,
And darken slowly with a fair desire;
How many times since then your soul has been
Clear to my gaze as curving skies above,
Wearing like them a raiment made of fire.
Happy Friday, friends!
A beautiful find, Jane. Thank you for sharing this poem.
Isn’t it lovely? That’s why I love Poetry Friday so very much – I get to share and discover so many great poems!
What a wonderful love poem, Jane.
It’s wonderful, isn’t it?
Sara Teasdale is a favorite of mine! Her poem “Stars” is perfect for reading at night in the dark… thank you!
Oh, I had to look up Stars right away – what a find! Wonderful!
You weren’t kidding about swoonworthy! I’m totally going to find out more about this poet. Thank you.
Hurray! I love learning about and celebrating female poets, especially the ones who blazed trails for us generations ago.
Lovely poem. Very revealing of the doubts and insecurities of the poet. I puzzled over the “not” in the second stanza, “How many times since then have I not seen/ Your great eyes widen when you talk of love”. I finally decided it means the same thing either way, with or without the “not”, doesn’t it?
I absolutely agree – you can definitely feel the poet in the poem!
Beautiful poem! Isn’t it wonderful to discover a new-to-you poet that speaks to your life–especially when the poems make you swoon!
Yes! I’m particularly thrilled to discover female poets, who left their mark in an era that did its best to try and keep them down. True girl power!
Grateful to learn this poem & poet.
I’m glad to share something new-to-me!
Poignant and wow, I need to find out about her.
She sounds like a fascinating person, and she was able to create some amazing poetry in her too-brief life.
Thanks for sharing this treasure! I didn’t know Sara Teasdale either! Those last three lines………
Find her poem “Barter.” My very first class of fourth graders and I memorized that poem. I wonder if, all these years later, bits and pieces of it come back to them. I’ve kept the poem whole in my memory and my heart.
One of my seventh graders picked her as a mentor poet last year, and shared lots of her poems with me! <3 Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
She has the gift for sure! Love how those rhymes just flow, smooth, deep and surprising.
Wow. Beautifully transparent and human but romantic at the same time. Love the idea of including a photo of her. Lovely to imagine her “saying it” while we see her face.
I need to discover more of her poetry. What a gift! Unfortunately, this gift often comes with a tragic life’s story. (Ha! That must be why I find this type of poem difficult to write… okay – impossible!) Thanks for sharing this today.