It is eighteen ...
... watched you play
Your first game ...
... go drifting away
Behind a scatter ...
... thing set free
Into a wilderness, ...
... path should be.
That hesitant figure, ...
... its parent stem,
Has something I ...
... one’s irresolute clay.
I have had ...
... perfectly show –
How selfhood begins ...
... the letting go.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Sean Day-Lewis Reflects on "Walking Away" — A reflection on the poem by the poet's son Sean Day-Lewis, to whom "Walking Away" is dedicated.
Recitation of "Walking Away" — A recording of the poem "Walking Away" read aloud.
Biography of Cecil Day-Lewis — A detailed biography of Cecil Day-Lewis that focuses on the development of his poetry.
Cecil Day-Lewis's "Complete Poems" — A Google book edition of Cecil Day-Lewis's "Complete Poems," with extensive previews of the text.