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A review by storyofus
The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde
5.0
"And all men kill the thing they love / By all let this be heard / Some do it with a bitter look / Some with a flattering word / The coward does it with a kiss / The brave man with a sword."
I am not the biggest fan of poetry, if I'm being honest, but I am a fan of Wilde's writing. This poem is haunting and knowing that this was written shortly after he was released from prison adds a layer of ache and despair. Though there is an underlying story of a murderer in the jail who threw his entire life away by committing his crime, the underlying understanding that the reality of Wilde's life would thereafter be completely thrown into disarray... it is really just devastating.
I am not the biggest fan of poetry, if I'm being honest, but I am a fan of Wilde's writing. This poem is haunting and knowing that this was written shortly after he was released from prison adds a layer of ache and despair. Though there is an underlying story of a murderer in the jail who threw his entire life away by committing his crime, the underlying understanding that the reality of Wilde's life would thereafter be completely thrown into disarray... it is really just devastating.