101 Poems, Number 1

Favorite Poems Throughout My Life

1: “Our revels now are ended,” speech from The Tempest, 4.1, 1612, by William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

It’s Prospero who says these words—

The Tempest—what a play!

Among my favorites by the Bard—

I’d watch it every day.

It is a speech I memorized—

And back when I retired,*

I’d planned to say it to each class

As classroom time expired.

But (funny thing) when I began,

I stopped. It wasn’t fears.

No, I just could not say the words

Because of all the tears.

I didn’t even try that day

In classes later on:
I knew just what would happen then—

I’d try—and I’d be gone.

But I have tried to keep these words—

Rehearse them every week.

I might just, well, retire again—

And need to weep a creek!

*From Western Reserve Academy, June 2011

Link to lines.  I know from “Our revels now are ended” to “is rounded with a sleep.”