Silence
Thomas Hood
Biography of Thomas Hood
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/thomas-hood
Thomas Hood, an editor, publisher, poet, and humorist, spent much of his life working with literature. He even spent some time with magazines. While Hood was a busy writer, he also did his time as a poor working man. Hood spent time working in a counting house and as an engraver. He became known for his light versus, puns, and depiction of the working conditions for the poor. Hood lived a full life from 1799 - 1845.
Silence
There is a silence where no sound may be,
In the cold grave -- under the deep deep sea,
Or in the wide desert where no life is found,
Which hath been mute, and still must sleep profound;
No voice is hush'd -- no life treads silently,
But clouds and cloudy shadows wander free,
That never spoke, over the idle ground:
But in green ruins, in the desolate walls
Of antique places, where Man hath been,
Though the dun fox, or wild hyena, calls,
And owls, that flit continually between,
Shriek to the echo, and the low winds moan,
There the true Silence is, self-conscious and alone.