Welcome back to the Daily Poem here on the Close Reeds Podcast Network. I'm David Coney.

Today's poem is by an American poet named Jones Very. I am not particularly familiar with Jones

very, but what I did was when I was trying to figure out what poem to read for today,

I just on a whim picked up the book that Harold Bloom edited, the anthology that Harold Bloom edited,

called The Best Poems of the English Language. Bloom, of course, died last week. And so I thought,

you know, I'll do a few poems this week from his anthology. And I opened it up at random. And it opened up to a poem

called New Birth from Jones Vary. So I'll go ahead and read this poem and then I'll offer some

thoughts as usual and then I'll read it again. Jones Vary was an American poet who lived from

1813 to 1880. He was a poet, essayist. He was a clergyman. He is sometimes associated with transcendentalism.

And he was also known as a scholar of Shakespeare. And so many of the poems, including the one that I'm

going to read today, is formerly a Shakespearean sonnet. So here is New Birth by Jones Very.

Tis a new life. Thoughts move, not as they did with slow uncertain steps across my mind.

In thronging haste, fast pressing on, they bid the portals open to the viewless wind.

That comes not save when in the dust is laid the crown of pride that gilds each mortal

brow, and from before man's vision melting fade the heavens and earth. Their walls are falling

now. Fast crowding on, each thought claims utterance strong. Storm lifted waves swift rushing to the

shore. On from the sea they send their shouts along. Back through the cave-worn rocks, their

thunders roar. And I, child of God by Christ made free, start from death death slumbers to eternity.

So in this anthology, Harold Bloom includes little biographical descriptions or notes about the poets.

And he notes that Jones Vary was teaching Greek at Harvard to potential or future ministers.

And while doing this, he apparently had an intense mystical experience.

This is in 1837.

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