The Deserted City

"The Deserted City" by Francis Sherman is a collection of sonnets from the 1800s that looks closely at big ideas like love, sadness, good looks, and how time moves on. Readers go with the poet as they think about these things. The collection uses metaphors and imagery to show the complexity of feelings. As we move through, we visit different "houses" representing feelings like doubt, kindness, affection, and allure. As the speaker thinks about memories their poetic reflection weaves together happiness and sorrows of being alive, showing a deep inner life searching for peace in memories. At the end, the collection recognizes beauty and knowledge, as the speaker thinks hard about the importance of love and the short time we have on Earth.