I burned my life, that I may find
A passion wholly of the mind,
Thought divorced from eye and bone
Ecstasy come to breath alone.
I broke my life, to seek relief
From the flawed light of love and grief.

With mounting beat the utter fire
Charred existence and desire.
It died low, ceased its sudden thresh.
I had found unmysterious flesh–
Not the mind’s avid substance–still
Passionate beyond the will.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Louise Bogan's poem The Alchemist

1 Comment

  1. This is quite the allegorical piece. I enjoy the intensity of her emotions and how she balances the love of oneself with a mask of defeated loneliness. There is an admiral strength in her ability to describe something extremely fragile. It’s a vulnerable dichotomy that she captures well.

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