#MIDDLEBURY
Sunset
E.E. Cummings
Great carnal mountains crouching in the cloud
That marrieth the young earth with a ring,
Yet still its thoughts builds heavenward, whence spring
Wee villages of vapor, sunset-proud. –
And to the meanest door hastes one pure-browed
White-fingered star, a little, childish thing,
The busy needle of her light to bring,
And stitch, and stitch, upon the dead day’s shroud.
Poises the sun upon his west, a spark
Superlative, – and dives beneath the world;
From the day’s fillets Night shakes out her locks;
List! One pure trembling drop of cadence purled-
“Summer!”-a meek thrush whispers to the dark.
Hark! the cold ripple sneering on the rocks!
About this poem
“Sunset” was published in Vol. XCV of The Harvard Advocate on March 21, 1913.
About E.E. Cummings
E.E. Cummings was born on Oct. 14, 1894, in Cambridge, Mass. His collections of poetry include “Tulips and Chimneys” (T. Seltzer, 1923) and “50 Poems” (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940). He died on Sept. 3, 1962.
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. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
