The Secret Way E-Book

Zona Gale

• Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

In "The Secret Way," Zona Gale intricately weaves a narrative that explores the inner lives of her characters against the backdrop of small-town America. Utilizing a blend of naturalism and an impressionistic style, Gale delves into themes of individuality, societal constraints, and the search for authentic connection. The book is set in the early 20th century, reflecting the cultural shifts of the Progressive Era, while highlighting the psychological depth of its protagonists as they navigate their secret desires and aspirations in a world marked by convention and expectations. Zona Gale, an accomplished writer and the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was born and raised in Portage, Wisconsin. Her formative experiences in a small town deeply influenced her storytelling, allowing her to capture the nuances of everyday life and the complexity of human emotions. Gale's commitment to portraying the struggles and triumphs of her characters stems from her own keen observations of the social landscape, which she transformed through a lens of empathy and introspection. "The Secret Way" is a compelling read for those interested in the intersection of personal yearning and societal constraints. Gale's nuanced prose and evocative storytelling offer a profound examination of the human experience, making this book a valuable addition to the canon of early 20th-century American literature, and essential for readers seeking to understand the intricacies of personal identity within a communal context.

Leseprobe

Zona Gale

The Secret Way

Published by Good Press, 2022

[email protected]

EAN 4057664130174

Table of Contents

PART I

EARLY VERSE

TERZA RIMA

BALLADES OF THREE SENSES

HOKKU

SONNETS AND VARIATIONS

WHEN DID SPRING DIE?

ONE DAWN SHE WOKE ME——

THERE ARE WITHIN US LIVES WE NEVER LIVE

LAST NIGHT I DREAMED I SAW MY MOTHER YOUNG

WHY AM I SILENT?

I WANDERED WHERE THE WONDER OF THE SKY——

HERE A STILL FIELD

RETURN

BY MY SIDE ALL DAY ANOTHER WENT

IN J. P. P.’s METRE

EXERCISE IN SPENSERIANS

PART II

I KNOW WHERE A DOVE——

PROLOCUTOR

WONDER

A MEETING

HALF THOUGHT

EPITAPH

EPITAPH

ALIAS

IN ARVIA’S ROOM

NON NOBIS

HALF THOUGHT

UMBRA

WRAITHS

HALF THOUGHT

WIND SONG

HALF THOUGHT

TROTH

BELOVED, IT IS DAYBREAK ON THE HILLS

CREDO

WHO IS THIS THAT IS SO NEAR?

INMOST ONE

STONE CELL

LIGHT

HALF THOUGHT

CONTOURS

PART III

PART I

Table of Contents

EARLY VERSE

THE SECRET WAY

Table of Contents

Stark on the window’s early greyLined out in squares by casement bars,She saw her lily lift to takeThe sinking stars.

Within the room’s delaying darkIntimate things lay dim and stillWith all their day-time friendlinessGone false and chill.

Her hand upon the coverlet,Her face low in the linen’s cleft,They were as wan as water-flowersBy light bereft.

And never was bloom brought to her couchBut shed the odour of a sighBecause she was as white as they,And they must die.

“O Pale, lit deep within the darkOf your young eyes, a stifled lightLeaps thin and keen as melodyAnd leavens night.

“It is a light that did not burnWhen you were gay at mart and fair;O Pale, what is that starry fire,Fed unaware?”

Then softly she: “I may not tellWhat other eyes behold in mine;But I have melted night and dayIn some wild wine.

“I may not read the graven cupExhaustless as a brimming bellDistilling silver; but I drankAnd all is well.

“One morn like this, bitter still,I waited for the early stirOf those who slept the while I watchedWhat muffled wonders were.

“I saw my lily on the sill;I saw my mirror on the wallTake light that was not; and I sawMy spectral taper tall.

“Why I had known these quiet thingsSince I could speak. Yet suddenlyThey all touched hands and in one breathThey spoke to me.

“I may not tell you what they said.The strange part is that I must lieAnd never tell you what we say——These things and I.

“I only know that common thingsBear sudden little spirits setFree by the rose of dawn and byNight’s violet.

“I only know that when I hearClear tone, the haunted echoes bearLegions of little winged feetOn printless air.

“And when warm colour weds my lookA word is uttered tremblingly,With meaning fall—but I know notWhat it may be.

“I only know that now I findAbiding beauty everywhere;Or if it bide not, that it fadesIs still more fair.

I long to question those I loveAnd yet I know not what to say;I am alone as one uponSome secret way.

“My words are barren of my bliss;The strange part is that I must lieAnd never tell you what we say—These things and I.

“So will it be when I am not.A little more perhaps to tell;Yet then as now I may not sayWhat I know well.”