
The Flowers of Proserpine is a collection of poems by Helen Hay Whitney, published in 1891. The poems explore themes of love, death, and the afterlife, and are written in a variety of poetic forms. The title poem, “The Flowers of Proserpine,” is a narrative poem about the Greek goddess Proserpine, who is abducted by Pluto and taken to the underworld. The poem follows her journey and her eventual return to the world of the living. Other poems in the collection explore themes of love, loss, and mortality, and are written in a variety of poetic forms, including sonnets, odes, and ballads. The collection is a powerful exploration of the human experience, and the poems are both beautiful and thought-provoking.
By Helen Hay Whitney · First published 1898 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Mythology · 329 words
The jewels of the sun are not more rare Than these that lie upon my lurid halls. The perfume kiss upon the drowsy air Is sweet as Spring can hold within her walls. The spell which night may cast upon her thralls Is mine; the length of all this gloomy land Knows no more sun than falls from my white hand.
My wealth great kings have prayed for -- in their pride, Bowing before me. Nay -- I hate the place. I am no queen at heart -- my laughter died That I might wear my crown with regal grace The very flowers which smile on my sad face I am afraid of. See! they are the worst Of all my fears; so fair -- yet black accurst.
Some Verses: Poems: THE FLOWERS OF PROSERPINE is listed on Textopian as a poem by Helen Hay Whitney, dated 1898 CE.
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American poetry · air · black · br · cast · drowsy · falls · flowers · gloomy · grass · halls · heart