Sonnet—To Science

Summary

This poem critiques the impact of science on imagination and creativity, portraying science as a force that disrupts the dreams and inspirations of poets. It suggests that science, with its focus on fact and reality, strips away the enchantment and beauty once found in mythology and the natural world, represented by figures like the Naiad and the Hamadryad. The poet feels that science consumes the poetic heart and creativity, comparing it to a vulture. It questions the seemingly cold, probing nature of science and its inability to leave room for the wonder and aspiration that poets thrive on. The tension between science and creativity is explored through imagery of the supernatural and natural elements being driven away by scientific realities.

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Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!
Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.
Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,
Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?
How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,
Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering
To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies
Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?
Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car?
And driven the Hamadryad from the wood
To seek a shelter in some happier star?
Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,
The Elfin from the green grass, and from me
The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?