The dead babe
Last night, as my dear babe lay dead,
In agony I knelt and said:
"0 God! what have I done,
Or in what wise offended Thee,
That Thou should'st take away from me
My little son?
"Upon the thousand useless lives,
Upon the guilt that vaunting thrives,
Thy wrath were better spent!
Why should'st Thou take my little son -
Why should'st Thou vent Thy wrath upon
This innocent?"
Last night, as my dear babe lay dead,
Before mine eyes the vision spread
Of things that might have been:
Licentious riot, cruel strife,
Forgotten prayers, a wasted life
Dark red with sin!
Then, with sweet music in the air,
I saw another vision there:
A Shepherd in whose keep
A little lamb - my little child!
Of worldly wisdom undefiled,
Lay fast asleep!
Last night, as my dear babe lay dead,
In those two messages I read
A wisdom manifest;
And though my arms be childless now,
I am content - to Him I bow
Who knoweth best.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 51 sec read
- 91 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Aabccb xxxbxx Aadeed ffgxag Aahiih |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 873 |
Words | 171 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"The dead babe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13062/the-dead-babe>.
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