Sara Teasdale (August 8, 1884 – January 29, 1933), was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sarah Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri. Teasdale's major themes were love, nature's beauty, and death, and her poems were much loved during the early 20th century. In 1918, she won the Columbia University Poetry Society prize (the forerunner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) and the annual prize of the Poetry Society of America for her volume, Love Songs. Her style and lyricism are well illustrated in her poem, "Spring Night" (1915), from that collection. Throughout her life, Teasdale suffered poor health and it was not until she was nine that she was judged healthy enough to begin school – a private school for children just one block away from her home. In 1898 she attended Mary Institute, and the following year she enrolled in Hosmer Hall, from which she graduated in 1903. Her influences included the actress Duse, whom she never saw perform, the British poet Christina Rossetti, and numerous trips to Europe, beginning in 1905.
peace of mind
You know it takes
a long, long time
You know it takes
a long, long time
You love...[read poem]
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a long, long time
You know it takes
a long, long time
You love...
the christening
In vain we broider cap and cloak, and fold
The long robe, white and rare;
In vain we s...[read poem]
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The long robe, white and rare;
In vain we s...
a woman's last word
Promise me nothing. Men are mortal. I
Loose from your heart my hand.
(The grave is dee...[read poem]
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Loose from your heart my hand.
(The grave is dee...
engaged too long
Why do I grieve with summer here?
I want the flower that died last year;
I want the old dr...[read poem]
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I want the flower that died last year;
I want the old dr...
"we women"
Heart-ache and heart-break – always that or this:
Sometimes it rains just when the sun sh...[read poem]
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Sometimes it rains just when the sun sh...
the witch in the glass
"My mother says I must not pass
Too near that glass;
She is afraid that I will see...[read poem]
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Too near that glass;
She is afraid that I will see...
why should we care?
Well, if the bee should sting the flower to death,
With just one drop of honey for the stin...[read poem]
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With just one drop of honey for the stin...
barter
Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on...[read poem]
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All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on...
the black princess
I knew a Princess: she was old,
Crisp-haired, flat-featured, with a look
Such as no da...[read poem]
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Crisp-haired, flat-featured, with a look
Such as no da...
water lilies
If you have forgotten water lilies floating
On a dark lake among mountains in the afternoon sha...[read poem]
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On a dark lake among mountains in the afternoon sha...
the coming of eve
God gave the world to Man in the Beginning.
Alone in Eden there and lord of all
He mus...[read poem]
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Alone in Eden there and lord of all
He mus...
the palace-burner
She has been burning palaces. “To see
The sparks look pretty in the wind?” Well, yes â€...[read poem]
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The sparks look pretty in the wind?” Well, yes â€...
the house below the hill
You ask me of the farthest star,
Whither your thought can climb at will,
Forever-quest...[read poem]
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Whither your thought can climb at will,
Forever-quest...
we two
God’s will is – the bud of the rose for your hair,
The ring for your hand and the pearl...[read poem]
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The ring for your hand and the pearl...
a new thanksgiving
For war, plague, pestilence, flood, famine, fire,
For Christ discrowned, for false gods set...[read poem]
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For Christ discrowned, for false gods set...
out of tune
Someone has told you that the moon is old?
(Do you not see to-night that it is new?)
It ju...[read poem]
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(Do you not see to-night that it is new?)
It ju...
transfigured
Almost afraid they led her in:
(A dwarf more piteous none could find);
Withered as som...[read poem]
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(A dwarf more piteous none could find);
Withered as som...
the sorrows of charlotte
The Sorrows of Werther, that is the Book,
Little girl of mine. Will I show you what
Hi...[read poem]
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Little girl of mine. Will I show you what
Hi...
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