The House of Dust: A Symphony
1920
The House of Dust: A Symphony, published in 1920 by Conrad Aiken, is a three-part poetic work that explores themes of life, death, and the ephemeral nature of human experience. Set against a richly symbolic cityscape, the poem reflects on dreams, aspirations, and the poignant illusions that shape reality. Through vivid imagery and a haunting atmosphere, Aiken invites readers to contemplate the interplay of shadows and light as characters navigate love, loss, and the passage of time within a city in flux.
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X-Ray
“Death is never an ending, death is a change;Death is beautiful, for death is strange;Death is one dream out of another flowing.””
— Conrad Aiken
“Before him, numberless lovers smiled and talked. And death was observed with sudden cries, And birth with laughter and pain. And the trees grew taller and blacker against the skies And night came down again.””
— Conrad Aiken
“Our hands are hot and raw with the stones we have laid,We have built a tower of stone high into the sky,We have built a city of towers.””
— Conrad Aiken
“So, talking with my first wife,At the dark end of evening, when she leanedAnd smiled at me, with blue eyes weaving websOf finest fire, revolving me in scarlet,--Calling to mind remote and small successionsOf countless other evenings ending so,--I smiled, and met her kiss, and wished her dead””
— Conrad Aiken
