On This Day 27 May in 1883, Oscar Wilde Imprisioned

On May 27th, 1883 Oscar Wilde was sent to prison and ordered to perform hard labor after being found guilty of sodomy (homosexuality) two days before.  This was such an embarrassment to his wife Constance that she moved with their two children to Switzerland and changed their last name to Holland.

Here is one poem written by Wilde:

Poem: Easter Day

The silver trumpets rang across the Dome:

The people knelt upon the ground with awe:
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like, he wore a robe more white than foam,
And, king-like, swathed himself in royal red,
Three crowns of gold rose high upon his head:
In splendour and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years
To One who wandered by a lonely sea,
And sought in vain for any place of rest:
‘Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest.
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet, and drink wine salt with tears.’


To learn more about Wilde you may visit these sites

• The Long Conversion of Oscar Wilde
• The Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde

To read more poetry by Wilde you may visit this page on Project Gutenberg and scroll down to Wilde's name.