The Impercipient
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
(at a Cathedral Service)
THAT from this bright believing band
An outcast I should be,
That faiths by which my comrades stand
Seem fantasies to me,
And mirage-mists their Shining Land,
Is a drear destiny.
Why thus my soul should be consigned
To infelicity,
Why always I must feel as blind
To sights my brethren see,
Why joys they've found I cannot find,
Abides a mystery.
Since heart of mine knows not that ease
Which they know; since it be
That He who breathes All's Well to these
Breathes no All's Well to me,
My lack might move their sympathies
And Christian charity!
I am like a gazer who should mark
An inland company
Standing upfingered, with, "Hark! hark!
The glorious distant sea!"
And feel, "Alas, 'tis but yon dark
And wind-swept pine to me!"
Yet I would bear my shortcomings
With meet tranquillity,
But for the charge that blessed things
I'd liefer have unbe.
O, doth a bird deprived of wings
Go earth-bound wilfully!
. . . .
Enough. As yet disquiet clings
About us. Rest shall we.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 04, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 355 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | X ABABAB CACBCB DBDBDB EBEBEB FAFB FB FB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,196 |
Words | 179 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4, 5 |
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