This excerpt is from “The Poet” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem describes a poet's consciousness and perception. Which lines
suggest the richness of a poet's thoughts? Thus truth was multiplied on truth, the world Like one great garden show'd, And thro' the wreaths of floating dark upcurl'd, Rare sunrise flow'd. And Freedom rear'd in that august sunrise Her beautiful bold brow, When rites and forms before his burning eyes Melted like snow. There was no blood upon her maiden robes Sunn'd by those orient skies; But round about the circles of the globes Of her keen eyes And in her raiment's hem was traced in flame WISDOM, a name to shake All evil dreams of power--a sacred name. And when she spake, Her words did gather thunder as they ran, And as the lightning to the thunder Which follows it, riving the spirit of man, Making earth wonder, So was their meaning to her words. No sword Of wrath her right arm whirl'd, But one poor poet's scroll, and with 'his' word She shook the world.
His experience and beliefs are well portrayed by the young lawyer in "The Bet" when the lawyer decides to forfeit his prize given his changed beliefs. Like the lawyer in the story, Chekhov devoted his life to what he believed in instead of focusing on his financial status.
