Poem a Day: New and classic poems provided by the Academy of American Poets
A Gift
Amy Lowell
See! I give myself to you, Beloved!
My words are little jars
For you to take and put upon a shelf.
Their shapes are quaint and beautiful,
And they have many pleasant colours and lusters
To recommend them.
Also the scent from them fills the room
With sweetness of flowers and crushed grasses.
When I shall have given you the last one,
You will have the whole of me,
But I shall be dead.
About the poem : “A Gift” was originally published in Lowell’s second collection of poems, “Sword Blades and Poppy Seeds” (The Macmillan Company, 1914).
About Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell was born in Brookline, Mass., in 1874. Among her honors is the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Lowell died in Brookline in May 1925.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
This poem is in the public domain. Distributed by King Features Syndicate
