Life, 1925-06-04 · page 9 of 44
Life — June 4, 1925 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a commencement-themed literary page from *Life* magazine featuring a poem by Roger Burlingame titled "Recommencement." The poem nostalgically imagines revisiting college experiences—walking under elms, attending graduation ceremonies, dancing at proms. The accompanying illustration, captioned "Desire Under the Elms," depicts two young men sitting on a fence beneath trees, observing a young woman reading alone. The image plays on the poem's romantic nostalgia about college life and youthful romance. The page appears designed for spring/graduation season. The title references a famous play (*Desire Under the Elms* by Eugene O'Neill, 1924), adding literary sophistication to what is essentially sentimental commentary on college memories and lost youth—typical *Life* magazine fare blending humor, literature, and social observation about American life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Recommencement IF I could graduate again, my dear, And all the now could lapse into the then, And I could bud once more and shed the sere And yellow leaf and live in spring again; If you and I could walk beneath the elms And dream along the thousand-lanterned light, Out of the campus through the fancied realms Of endless future vistaed in the night; If I could go with you to prom and hop And have you on my mind the livelong day And dance and dance with you and never stop And buy you roses all along the way; If I could hear your voice amid the cheer That grects the solemn march of gownéd scholars... If I could graduate again, my dear, I wouldn't do it for a million dollars. Roger Burlingame, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS comicbooks.com