Poem: Boy with Book of Knowledge
Author: Howard Nemerov (1920–91) [bio] 
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10      <date ty="death" circa="false" suffix="ad">1991</date>
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1

He holds a volume open in his hands:

Sepia portraits of the hairy great,

The presidents and poets in their beards

Alike, simplified histories of the wars,

5

Conundrums, quizzes, riddles, games and poems,

“Immortal Poems”; at least he can't forget them,

Barbara Fritchie and the Battle Hymn,

And best of all America the Beautiful,

Whose platitudinous splendors ended with

10

“From sea to shining sea,” and made him cry

And wish to be a poet, only to say such things,

From sea to shining sea. Could that have been

Where it began? the vast pudding of knowledge,

With poetry rare as raisins in the midst

15

Of those gold-lettered volumes black and green?

Mere piety to think so. But being now

As near his deathday as his birthday then,

He would acknowledge all he will not know,

The silent library brooding through the night

20

With all its lights continuing to burn

Insomniac, a luxury liner on what sea

Unfathomable of ignorance who could say?

And poetry, as steady, still, and rare

As the lighthouses now unmanned and obsolete

25

That used to mark America's dangerous shores.

30

35

From The Collected Poems of Howard Nemerov , copyright © by Howard Nemerov. Reprinted by permission of Margaret Nemerov.

To cite this poem:

MLA
Nemerov, Howard. “Boy with Book of Knowledge.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2026. Columbia University Press. 5 Jul. 2026. <http://www.columbiagrangers.org>.

Chicago Manual of Style
Howard Nemerov. “Boy with Book of Knowledge.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. http://www.columbiagrangers.org (accessed July 5, 2026). 

          
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12      <subject-name>Knowledge</subject-name>
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55        <line n="3">The presidents and poets in their beards</line>
56        <line n="4">Alike, simplified histories of the wars,</line>
57        <line n="5">Conundrums, quizzes, riddles, games and poems,</line>
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60        <line n="6">“Immortal Poems”; at least he can't forget them,</line>
61        <line n="7">Barbara Fritchie and the Battle Hymn,</line>
62        <line n="8">And best of all America the Beautiful,</line>
63        <line n="9">Whose platitudinous splendors ended with</line>
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68        <line n="12">From sea to shining sea. Could that have been</line>
69        <line n="13">Where it began? the vast pudding of knowledge,</line>
70        <line n="14">With poetry rare as raisins in the midst</line>
71        <line n="15">Of those gold-lettered volumes black and green?</line>
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74        <line n="16">Mere piety to think so. But being now</line>
75        <line n="17">As near his deathday as his birthday then,</line>
76        <line n="18">He would acknowledge all he will not know,</line>
77        <line n="19">The silent library brooding through the night</line>
78        <line n="20">With all its lights continuing to burn</line>
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81        <line n="21">Insomniac, a luxury liner on what sea</line>
82        <line n="22">Unfathomable of ignorance who could say?</line>
83        <line n="23">And poetry, as steady, still, and rare</line>
84        <line n="24">As the lighthouses now unmanned and obsolete</line>
85        <line n="25">That used to mark America's dangerous shores.</line>
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98          From
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100          , copyright © by Howard Nemerov. Reprinted by permission of Margaret Nemerov.
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