When you have ground such beauty down to dust

Dylan Thomas

1914 to 1953

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Reconstruct the poem by dragging each line into its correct position. Your goal is to reassemble the original poem as accurately as possible. As you move the lines, you'll see whether your arrangement is correct, helping you explore the poem's flow and meaning. You can also print out the jumbled poem to cut up and reassemble in the classroom. Either way, take your time, enjoy the process, and discover how the poet's words come together to create something truly beautiful.

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For folly was
Growing on hills or shining under water.
Sense can but maim it, wisdom mar it,
When folly stirred, warm in the foolish heart.
But in the body of the trees and stones,
Or sundered it to look the closer,
Was when sense found a way to them
As flies before the breath
Folly purify and make it true.
Wisdom is folly, love is not,
At one side's loss,
Magnified and made immense
He whose lovers were both wise and sensible
Go silly and be Christ's good brother,
Come wise in foolishness,
When wisdom lay not in the soul
Turn inside out, and see at glance
When you have ground such beauty down to dust
And, at the touch, trembles with lover's fever,