East And West

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



The Day has never understood the Gloaming or the Night;
Though sired by one Creative Power, and nursed at Nature's breast;
The White Man ever fails to read the Dark Man's heart aright;
Though from the self-same Source they came, upon the self-same quest;
So deep and wide, the Great Divide,
Between the East and West.

But like a shadow on a screen, mine eyes behold, above
The yawning gulf, a dim forecast, of structures strong and broad;
Where caste, and colour prejudice, by countless feet down trod,
With old traditions crushed by Time, pave smooth the bridge of Love;
And all the creed that men shall heed
Is consciousness of God.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
53

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABXB CXDCXD
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 631
Words 114
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 6

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

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