The Old School-Chum
He puts the poem by, to say His eyes are not themselves to-day! A sudden glamour o'er his sight - A something vague, indefinite - An oft-recurring blur that blinds The printed meaning of the lines, And leaves the mind all dusk and dim In swimming darkness - strange to him! It is not childishness, I guess, - Yet something of the tenderness That used to wet his lashes when A boy seems troubling him again; - The old emotion, sweet and wild, That drove him truant when a child, That he might hide the tears that fell Above the lesson - "Little Nell." And so it is he puts aside The poem he has vainly tried To follow; and, as one who sighs In failure, through a poor disguise Of smiles, he dries his tears, to say His eyes are not themselves to-day.
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About this line
"He puts the poem by, to say..."
This evocative piece by James Whitcomb Riley, titled "The Old School-Chum", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...