Prologue to Rhymes to be Traded for Bread

Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)



Even the shrewd and bitter,
Gnarled by the old world's greed,
Cherished the stranger softly
Seeing his utter need.
Shelter and patient hearing,
These were their gifts to him,
To the minstrel chanting, begging,
As the sunset-fire grew dim.
The rich said "you are welcome."
Yea, even the rich were good.
How strange that in their feasting
His songs were understood!
The doors of the poor were open,
The poor who had wandered too,
Who slept with never a roof-tree
Under the wind and dew.
The minds of the poor were open,
There dark mistrust was dead:
They loved his wizard stories,
They bought his rhymes with bread.

Those were his days of glory,
Of faith in his fellow-men.
Therefore to-day the singer
Turns beggar once again.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
92

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEDEXFDFGHCHGIXI CJAJ
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 731
Words 130
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 20, 4

Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. more…

All Vachel Lindsay poems | Vachel Lindsay Books

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