The tossing loneliness of many nights
Hart Crane, 1899-1932
Legende
Rounds off my memory of her.
Like a shell surrendered to evening sands,
Yet called adrift again at every dawn,
She has become a pathos,–
Waif of the tides.
The sand and sea have had their way,
And moons of spring and autumn,–
All, save I,
And even my vision will be erased
As a cameo the waves claim again.
* * * *
“Legende” originally appeared in The Modernist, 3 [November 1919]
More Hart Crane is available in these volumes from Amazon:
Legende (by Hart Crane)
09 Tuesday Dec 2008
Posted in 1900s, American, Cleveland, Crane (Hart), Writing
Crisis Chronicles Cyber Litmag (2008-2015) 
so clearly drawn with so little.Thanks, JC!
Wow.. I need to read more of him… that’s breath taking.Now I know what to ask Ryan for Xmas. Poetry books…
You’re welcome, David! I appreciate your comment.
Thanks, Chris! Hart is one of Cleveland’s finest, and he wrote a lot of excellent poetry before his suicide at age 33.I will eventually include all of his pre-1923 work in the Online Library. Unfortunately, everything he published between 1923 and 1933 is still under copyright.This link will show you an index of Hart Crane poems I’ve posted here so far:http://library.crisischronicles.com/categories/Crane%20(Hart).aspx
My Facebook friend Carter Monroe just alerted me to these Crane links. Well worth reading….http://poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/letter.html?id=182588http://poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/letter.html?id=182589http://poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/letter.html?id=182590
So beautiful and melancholy.
Indeed…