Seth Compton by Edgar Lee Masters

Seth Compton

by Edgar Lee Masters

from Spoon River Anthology (New York: Macmillan Co, 1916)

“autobiography / memoir” by Flickr.com user Kim Fleming (“myriorama”) Oct. 8, 2008
Creative Commons License

WHEN I died, the circulating library
Which I built up for Spoon River,
And managed for the good of inquiring minds,
Was sold at auction on the public square,
As if to destroy the last vestige
Of my memory and influence.
For those of you who could not see the virtue
Of knowing Volney’s “Ruins” as well as Butler’s “Analogy”
And “Faust” as well as “Evangeline,”
Were really the power in the village,
And often you asked me
“What is the use of knowing the evil in the world?”
I am out of your way now, Spoon River,
Choose your own good and call it good.
For I could never make you see
That no one knows what is good
Who knows not what is evil;
And no one knows what is true
Who knows not what is false.

Did you enjoy Seth Compton? You may read more Spoon River Anthology excerpts here.