Lemures (Richard Aldington)
“Lemures” evokes shadowy beings feared across ancient places and cultures. In Nineveh, beyond Nineveh, and in Egyptian Thebes, people dread them in the dusk and chant about them to the dead. In Lesbos and Achaia, where the God dwelt, they were known rather than denied. Although modern men claim that such beings do not exist, the speaker remains afraid before dawn, when the white sun is imagined as a gay child carrying a white candle. The speaker senses the beings’ rustling, terrible silence, and secret menace in the darkness.
By Richard Aldington · First published 1922 · Genre: Fiction, War literature, Novel · 125 words
First lines
In Nineveh And beyond Nineveh In the dusk They were afraid.
In Thebes of Egypt In the dusk They chanted of them to the dead.
In my Lesbos and Achaia Where the God dwelt We knew them.
Now men say "They are not": But in the dusk Ere the white sun comes -- A gay child that bears a white candle -- I am afraid of their rustling, Of their terrible silence, The menace of their secrecy.
What this Textopian page supports
Lemures (Richard Aldington) is listed on Textopian as a poem by Richard Aldington, dated 1922 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Richard Aldington
- Date: 1922 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, War literature, Novel, Modernist literature, Historical Fiction
- Length: 125 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Lemures (Richard Aldington) by Richard Aldington
- 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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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Fiction — The book is a narrative featuring characters and plot, which classifies it as fiction.
- War literature — The author Richard Aldington served in World War I, which influenced his writing and subject matter. 'Lemures' features themes of disillusionment and post-war society.
- Novel — The book is a longer work of prose fiction, which is what defines a novel.
- Modernist literature — The book reflects modernist themes and writing style common within the time it was written; confessional in nature and exploring disillusionment with the modern world post-World War I.
Tags
modernism · poetry · existentialism · nature · human experience · symbolism · mythology · spirituality · introspection · emotional depth · imagination · dreams