Poets | Members | Poem of the Day | Top 40 | Search | Comments | Privacy
May 12th, 2008 - we have 237 poets, 8036 poems and 17458 comments.
Stephen Crane - I stood musing in a black world

I stood musing in a black world,
Not knowing where to direct my feet.
And I saw the quick stream of men
Pouring ceaselessly,
Filled with eager faces,
A torrent of desire.
I called to them,
"Where do you go? What do you see?"
A thousand voices called to me.
A thousand fingers pointed.
"Look! look! There!"

I know not of it.
But, lo! In the far sky shone a radiance
Ineffable, divine --
A vision painted upon a pall;
And sometimes it was,
And sometimes it was not.
I hesitated.
Then from the stream
Came roaring voices,
Impatient:
"Look! look! There!"

So again I saw,
And leaped, unhesitant,
And struggled and fumed
With outspread clutching fingers.
The hard hills tore my flesh;
The ways bit my feet.
At last I looked again.
No radiance in the far sky,
Ineffable, divine;
No vision painted upon a pall;
And always my eyes ached for the light.
Then I cried in despair,
"I see nothing! Oh, where do I go?"
The torrent turned again its faces:
"Look! look! There!"

And at the blindness of my spirit
They screamed,
"Fool! fool! fool!"

Added: on January 17th, 2006 at 11:55 AM | Viewed: 3783 times | Comments and analysis of I stood musing in a black world by Stephen Crane Comments (4)


I stood musing in a black world - Comments and Information

Poet: Stephen Crane
Poem: 49. I stood musing in a black world
Volume: The Black Riders & Other Lines
Year: Published/Written in 1905

Comment 4 of 4, added on May 5th, 2006 at 8:48 AM.

Crane's perspective on the world is different from that of of the general majority. Beauty, divinity, and God in that "black world" is something that he can not fully comprehend or experience, even though he has already seen a glimpse of it.

Joshua from Canada
Comment 3 of 4, added on February 10th, 2006 at 7:17 PM.

it may be that Crane speaks of the inability to attain what one seeks. And flashes of such desirable things is what motivates the masses. But he may equally- or in most likelihood - be speaking not of this.

leonard from New Zealand
Comment 2 of 4, added on January 17th, 2006 at 11:55 AM.

Here I think Crane is writing about his inability to see what everyone else does. People all over are amazed by God, but Crane sees nothing at all in this God..he is not amazed.

Joshua from Canada

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, I stood musing in a black world, has received 4 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Stephen Crane with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info

Crane Info
Copyright © 2000-2008 Gunnar Bengtsson. All Rights Reserved. Links | Bookstore