Mark 3 Test Poetry Unit
erary Analysis and Reading Skills
ncient Rome, an auspex was a person who told fortunes based on the flight of
s. Read the following excerpt from James Russell Lowell's poem "Auspex." Then,
wer the question(s).
5
10
My heart, I cannot still it,
Nest that had song-birds in it;
And when the last shall go,
The dreary days to fill it,
Instead of lark or linnet,
Shall whirl dead leaves and snow.
Had they been swallows only.
Without the passion stronger
That skyward longs and sings,-
Woe's me, I shall be lonely
When I can feel no longer
The impatience of their wings!
-"Auspex," James Russell Lowell,
Which answer choice best describes the poem's speaker?
OA someone telling a story
O
B. someone describing the actions of gods
OC. someone expressing respect for the dead
OD. someone expressing his or her feelings