Interesting that a line in this poem ("An imperial affliction") is the title of theĀ
fictional book often referenced in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars
THERE'S A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT (audio)
There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the heft
Of cathedral tunes.
Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings are.
None may teach it anything,
'Tis the seal, despair,--
Sent us of the air.
When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, 't is like the distance
On the look of death.
An interpretation of the poem: