That whisper takes the voice
Of a Spirit, speaking to me,
Close, but invisible,
And throws me under a spell
At the kindling vision it brings;
And for a moment I rejoice,
And believe in transcendent things
That would make of this muddy earth
A spot for the splendid birth
Of everlasting lives,
Whereto no night arrives;
And this gaunt gray gallery
A tabernacle of worth
On this drab-aired afternoon,
When you can barely see
Across its hazed lacune
If opposite aught there be
Of fleshed humanity
Wherewith I may commune;
Or if the voice so near
Be a soul's voice floating here.


About this poem
"In a Whispering Gallery" was published in Thomas Hardy's book "Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses" (Macmillan, 1917).

About Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy was born in England on June 2, 1840. Some of his books include "Wessex Poems and Other Verses" (1899) and "Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses" (1909). Hardy died on Jan. 11, 1928.

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This poem is in the public domain. Distributed by King Features Syndicate