Batalha

Alice Duer Miller 1874 (New York) – 1942 (New York)



IN this still cloister where the roses grow
Waist-high between the arches and the well,
You would have walked a thousand years ago,
So faithful, who are now so infidel;
You would have fancied your wild heart's emotion
Over the beauty of a scene like this,
A mystic piety, a pure devotion ­
And so, perhaps, it is.

Under the shade of column and of tracing,
Here in the dusk, where swallows dart and fly,
Barefoot and cowled, I think I see you pacing,
Brooding o'er thoughts of subtle mystery;
Fasting and prayer, and music and desire
Weaving a mood that men no longer know -
Oh, yes, my dear, you would have been a friar,
A thousand years ago.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 25, 2023

37 sec read
81

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCXCX DXDXEAEA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 636
Words 122
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Alice Duer Miller

Alice Duer Miller was a writer from the U.S. whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses made an impact on the suffrage issue, and her verse novel The White Cliffs encouraged U.S. entry into World War II. She also wrote novels and screenplays. more…

All Alice Duer Miller poems | Alice Duer Miller Books

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