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I sing no governed firmament,
Cold, ordered, regular—
I sing the stinging discontent
That leaps from star to star!
John Erskine
John Erskine was born in New York City, October 5, 1879. He graduated from Columbia University, receiving his A.M. in 1901 and Ph.D. in 1903. He has taught English since 1903, first at Amherst College, and (beginning in 1909) at Columbia.
Although most of Erskine’s works have been performed in the capacity of editor and essayist, he has written two volumes of excellent verse. Actæon and Other Poems (1906) is little more than an introduction to The Shadowed Hour (1917), which contains such keen verses as “Satan” and “Ash-Wednesday” in which philosophy and poetry are interknit.
DEDICATION
When imperturbable the gentle moon