A Hero
Katharine Tynan 1861 (Ireland) – 1931
He was so foolish, the poor lad,
He made superior people smile
Who knew not of the wings he had
Budding and growing all the while;
Nor that the laurel wreath was made
Already for his curly head.
Silly and childish in his ways;
They said: 'His future comes to naught.'
His future! In the dreadful days
When in a toil his feet were caught
He hacked his way to glory bright
Before his day went down in night.
He fretted wiser folk--small blame!
Such futile, feeble brains were his.
Now we doff hats to hear his name,
Ask pardon where his spirit is,
Because we never guessed him for
A hero in the disguise he wore.
It matters little how we live
So long as we may greatly die.
Fashioned for great things, O forgive
Our dullness in the days gone by!
Now glory wraps you like a cloak
From us, and all such common folk.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 495 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABXX CXCXDD EFEFGG XHXHII |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 814 |
Words | 160 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"A Hero" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/24944/a-hero>.
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