Brahma
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)
If the red slayer think he slays,
Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Far or forgot to me is near;
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.
The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 195 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXAX BCBC DADA XEXE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 535 |
Words | 116 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Brahma" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/29792/brahma>.
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