A Shropshire Lad, XXXVI -- A E Housman

(Poem #33) A Shropshire Lad, XXXVI White in the moon the long road lies, The moon stands blank above; White in the moon the long road lies That leads me from my love. Still hangs the hedge without a gust, Still, still the shadows stay: My feet upon the moonlit dust Pursue the ceaseless way. The world is round, so travellers tell, And straight though reach the track, Trudge on, trudge on, 'twill all be well, The way will guide one back. But ere the circle homeward hies Far, far must it remove: White in the moon the long road lies That leads me from my love. -- A E Housman

A brief (and slightly dated) biographical note, from Louis Untermeyer:

"A. E. Housman was born in1859, and, after a classical education, he
was, for ten years, Higher Division Clerk in Her Majesty's Patent
Office. Later in life, he became a teacher.

Housman published only one volume of original verse, but that volume (A
Shropshire Lad) is known wherever modern English poetry is
read.Originally published in 1896, when Housman was almost 37, it is
evident that many of these lyrics were written when the poet was much
younger. Echoing the frank pessimism of Hardy and the harder cynicism of
Heine, Housman struck a lighter and more buoyant note. Underneath his
dark ironies, there is a rustic humor that has many subtle variations.
From a melodic standpoint, A Shropshire Lad is a collection of
exquisite, haunting and almost perfect songs.

Housman has been a professor of Latin since 1892 and, besides his
immortal set of lyrics, has edited Juvenal and the books of Manlius. "

Housman died in 1936.

I've loved this poem ever since I first read it in Susan Cooper's
(excellent) fantasy sequence 'The Dark is Rising'. I find the central
image especially beautiful and poignant. Call me an unabashed romantic
if you will :-).

For an interesting contrast, compare this poem with Tolkien's 'The Road
Goes Ever On' (Minstrels, Poem #4).

thomas.