“

Now reading

Song ("A king's but a puppet...")

COLOR NOTE

The yellow street lamp by the lake
 Leaps out against the turquoise sky,
And there's a patch of amethyst
 Where the old snow-drifts lie;
The russet leaves of maple and oak
  Catch in the corner of the eye-
And all because that yellow flame
  Sets up its piercing little cry!

              SONG

   A 'king's but a puppet,
     A lover a fool,
   A sage is a wise man
     Who was never at school:

   Then why should I bother
     To read in a book?
   The world is my fancy
     Wherever I look.
                           Alice Corbin

41,493

poems

4,155

poets

207

poetic terms

Browse the collection

Explore the archive →

Selected

Poems worth returning to

The glossary

The language about poetry

From aubade to zuihitsu, 207 definitions of the forms, figures, and schools that shape the line.

Explore the glossary→