A Song of the Pen
Andrew Barton Paterson 1864 (Orange, New South Wales) – 1941 (Sydney, New South Wales)
Not for the love of women toil we, we of the craft,
Not for the people's praise;
Only because our goddess made us her own and laughed,
Claiming us all our days,
Claiming our best endeavour -- body and heart and brain
Given with no reserve --
Niggard is she towards us, granting us little gain:
Still, we are proud to serve.
Not unto us is given choice of the tasks we try,
Gathering grain or chaff;
One of her favoured servants toils at an epic high,
One, that a child may laugh.
Yet if we serve her truly in our appointed place,
Freely she doth accord
Unto her faithful servants always this saving grace,
Work is its own reward!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 17, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 126 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEF GHGH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 638 |
Words | 122 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4 |
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"A Song of the Pen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/2475/a-song-of-the-pen>.
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