In The Oak
Katharine Lee Bates 1859 (Falmouth) – 1929 (Wellesley)
THE leaves and tassels of the oak
Were golden-green with May,
Pavilion whence forever broke
Some angel roundelay.
A carol like a glory came
From topmost twig astir,
Enkindled by a flying flame,
The scarlet tanager.
The tree was glad as Paradise
When, eager soul on soul,
The saints flock home. There glistened twice
A wild-throat oriole;
And once the grosbeak's rosy breast
Poured its enchanted hymn;
While sunny wing and jewel crest
Lit many a blissful limb.
The whole wide world was in my oak
Whose catkins danced for mirth,
— Plumes gray as curling city smoke,
Plumes brown as fresh-plowed earth;
Even heaven had graced our festival,
For oft the loving eye
Would find, coaxed by a wistful call,
The bluebird's fleck of sky.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 87 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABACDEDEFCFCGHGHAIAICJCJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 713 |
Words | 128 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
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"In The Oak" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/24868/in-the-oak>.
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