The Veil of Maya by Edith Nesbit
The poem explores the speaker's intense longing and love for someone. Despite acknowledging that they have experienced similar feelings before, they claim that this current love is unparalleled and surpasses all previous emotions. The speaker describes their love as a "starry mystery of delight" and a "pain that makes earth Paradise," emphasizing its transformative power. However, they also recognize the fleeting nature of life and love, acknowledging that their beloved's absence would banish joy from their life. Ultimately, the speaker asserts that they have never truly loved before, and this current love is the only one that has reached their heart's "hid core."
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1907 · Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance · 204 words
First lines
SWEET, I have loved before. I know This longing that invades my days; This shape that haunts life's busy ways I know since long and long ago.
This starry mystery of delight That floats across my eager eyes, This pain that makes earth Paradise, These magic songs of day and night --
I know them for the things they are: A passing pain, a longing fleet, A shape that soon I shall not meet, A fading dream of veil and star.
Yet, even as my lips proclaim The wisdom that the years have lent, Your absence is joy's banishment, And life's one music is your name.
What this Textopian page supports
The Veil of Maya is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edith Nesbit, dated 1907 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1907 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Mystery
- Length: 204 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Veil of Maya by Edith Nesbit
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Discussion starters
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Similar titles
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- The Fallen Star by Edward Bulwer Lytton
- The Last Thought by Edith Nesbit
- Three Souls by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Alice Book Xi by Edward Bulwer Lytton
- Leila Book I by Edward Bulwer Lytton
Genres
- Fantasy — The narrative involves supernatural elements and magical realism.
- Adventure — The plot includes a journey and exploration of unknown territories.
- Romance — The story contains elements of love and relationships.
- Mystery — The narrative involves the unraveling of secrets and hidden truths.
Tags
Fantasy · Romance · Mystery · Supernatural · Gothic · Victorian Era · Psychological Fiction · Philosophical · Spiritual · Esoteric · Occult · Metaphysical