The Beggar at the Church Door
The Beggar at the Church Door - meaning Summary
Old Love, Beggar's Dignity
The poem sketches a brief, sorrowful scene: an impoverished old man at a church door who once was a celebrated shepherd and lover. A former beloved, now an aged woman, recognizes him and will drop a coin, but he avoids her gaze because reunion would reopen old wounds. Instead he makes the sign of the cross and utters a prayer for her. The poem highlights memory, quiet pride, and the pain of faded intimacy.
Read Complete AnalysesHis eyes are like faded burdock. He clasps the coins in his hands. He was a glorious shepherd, Now he sings of times past. And in the corner, an old woman Sheds tears in front of an icon. She used to be his beloved, His drunk nectar in a green meadow. Dry dust coats the scrolls of years. No bygones to sandbank dawn. Only a gnawed-up crutch, As always, clatters in his hands. Now she's a stranger to him. She's forgotten his piercing flute. And when she rushes out the door, She'll drop a kopeck in his palm. He will not look in her eyes. Eyes meeting would be too painful. But, crossing himself in the icon corner, He'll pray for God's servant by name.
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