Poem of the Day March 25, 2010

Neutral Tones
by
Thomas Hardy


We stood by a pond that winter day,
And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,
And a few leaves lay on the starving sod;
-They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.

Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove
Over tedious riddles of years ago;
And some words played between us to and fro
On which lost the more by our love.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
Alive enough to have strength to die;
And a grin of bitterness swept thereby
Like an ominous bird a-wing....

Since then, keen lessons that love deceives,
And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me
Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,
And a pond edged with grayish leaves.


This poem was written in 1867 and was featured in "He Never Expected Much" which was written 60 years later. It is also featured in "The Top 500 Poems". I love this poem because first of all, I love nature. So this one automatically caught my eye. I also love the style in which it was written. It is an old poem that is very beautiful and very easy to understand. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.