Robert Gould Shaw
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
Why was it that the thunder voice of Fate
Should call thee, studious, from the classic groves,
Where calm-eyed Pallas with still footsteps roves,
And charge thee seek the turmoil of the State?
What bade thee hear the voice and rise elate,
Leave home and kindred and thy spicy loaves,
To lead th' unlettered and despised droves
To manhood's home and thunder at the gate?
Far better the slow blaze of Learning's light,
The cool and quiet of her dearer fane,
Than this hot terror of a hopeless fight,
This cold endurance of the final pain,-
Since thou and those who with thee died for right
Have died, the Present teaches, but in vain!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 165 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA CDCDCD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 627 |
Words | 117 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"Robert Gould Shaw" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28851/robert-gould-shaw>.
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