You ask how love can keep the mortal soul
Love keeps the mortal soul, through all its woe; A flame that burns, though flickering slow, In depths of life where darkness lies, And death's cold breath upon our eyes. It is the fire that in our veins doth glow, The light that guides us through life's darkest night; A flame that burns with fierce and steadfast light, And keeps the mortal soul from endless plight.
By Bliss Carman · First published 1894 · Genre: Poetry, Romance, Philosophical · 138 words
First lines
You ask how love can keep the mortal soul / Strong to the pitch of joy throughout the years.
Ask how your brave cicada on the bough / Keeps the long sweet insistence of his cry;
Ask how the Pleiads steer across the night / In their serene unswerving mighty course;
Ask how the wood-flowers waken to the sun, / Unsummoned save by some mysterious word;
What this Textopian page supports
You ask how love can keep the mortal soul is listed on Textopian as a poem by Bliss Carman, dated 1894 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Bliss Carman
- Date: 1894 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romance, Philosophical
- Length: 138 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for You ask how love can keep the mortal soul by Bliss Carman
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Poetry — The author, Bliss Carman, is a renowned Canadian poet and 'You ask how love can keep the mortal soul' is one of his poems.
- Romance — The title suggests a theme of love which is a common theme in romance genres.
- Philosophical — The contemplation of love's impact on the 'mortal soul' suggests deep philosophical underpinnings.
Tags
Love · Mortality · Soul · Human Nature · Existentialism · Philosophy · Poetry · Metaphor · Symbolism · Nature · Spirituality · Religion