Black shadows fall

From the lindens tall,

That lift aloft their massive wall

   Against the southern sky;


And from the realms

Of the shadowy elms

A tide-like darkness overwhelms

   The fields that round us lie.


But the night is fair,

And everywhere

A warm, soft vapor fills the air,

   And distant sounds seem near;


And above, in the light

Of the star-lit night,

Swift birds of passage wing their flight

   Through the dewy atmosphere.


I hear the beat

Of their pinions fleet,

As from the land of snow and sleet

   They seek a southern lea.


I hear the cry

Of their voices high

Falling dreamily through the sky,

   But their forms I cannot see.


O, say not so!

Those sounds that flow

In murmurs of delight and woe

   Come not from wings of birds.


They are the throngs

Of the poet's songs,

Murmurs of pleasures, and pains, and wrongs,

   The sound of winged words.


This is the cry

Of souls, that high

On toiling, beating pinions, fly,

   Seeking a warmer clime.


From their distant flight

Through realms of light

It falls into our world of night,

   With the murmuring sound of rhyme.



Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Circle is proud of its Library.  It is old fashioned with oak bookcases along the walls that reach from floor to ceiling.  Comfortable leather arm chairs are available for reading and several oak tables and chairs are available for those needing to take notes.  Although computers are available in the rec room, none are present in the Library. We encourage our members to rediscover the feel of leather bindings, the smell of ink on paper, and the soft rustle of eagerly turned pages.

Our collection is extensive.  You are certain to find something to suit your tastes. Good topics for discussion in the Library include but are not limited to modern versus classical poetry, the art of writing poetry, the evolution of fantasy literature and it's future, a comparison of Tolkien and Lewis, and whether it is true that creative genius and madness go hand in hand.  It is also a good place to share your own poetry and vignettes.

Please feel welcome to start a conversation about any of these topics or choose one of your own.

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