In contact, lo! the flint and steel,
By sharp and flame, the thought reveal
That he the metal, she the stone,
Had cherished secretly alone.
True, how one spark can kindle a great fire. Though, GOD created it all.
I personally thought Ambrose Bierce's ' alone ' is very good poem. short, simple but meaningful!
Nicely encapsulated thoughts and feelings. An insightful creation. Thanks for sharing,
This poem is excellent. I see it as a beautiful description of how two people find each other and discover their passionate love for each other. Like David and Bathsheba. When he(the flint) and she(the steel) meet, they complemented each other completely. They are soul mates. They alone are meant for each other. It is love at first sight; and lo! the spark of passion ignites the flame of love within them, and reveals their most intimate secret desires and expectations: That he (the stone) has secretly cherished the metal, and she (the steel) has secretly cherished the stone... and they have found what they have always longed for. True love. Christopher Laue
In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. While traveling with rebel troops, he disappeared without a trace. Obviously, they didn't like his poetry either. Old does not neccesarily mean good. Many of the writers in this site could put this to shame, He has just taken a pair of rhyming couplets and put them together. Bad scansion, terrible assonance and utterly banaal. .
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Interesting, in contact with skill 'lo! the flint and steel', produce the sparks that flame the dry tinder to produce fire. The metal and stone, is one of the easiest and quickest traditional survival techniques used to produce fire and definitely was cherished and secretly keep in many early tribal cultures and civilizations. It still fascinates children and hunters or trappers as Ambrose correctly observes. Why do so few explore some of the meanings of these poems?