A Presentiment
William Cullen Bryant 1794 (Cummington) – 1878 (New York City)
'Oh father, let us hence--for hark,
A fearful murmur shakes the air.
The clouds are coming swift and dark:--
What horrid shapes they wear!
A winged giant sails the sky;
Oh father, father, let us fly!'
'Hush, child; it is a grateful sound,
That beating of the summer shower;
Here, where the boughs hang close around,
We'll pass a pleasant hour,
Till the fresh wind, that brings the rain,
Has swept the broad heaven clear again.'
'Nay, father, let us haste--for see,
That horrid thing with horned brow,--
His wings o'erhang this very tree,
He scowls upon us now;
His huge black arm is lifted high;
Oh father, father, let us fly!'
'Hush, child;' but, as the father spoke,
Downward the livid firebolt came,
Close to his ear the thunder broke,
And, blasted by the flame,
The child lay dead; while dark and still,
Swept the grim cloud along the hill.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 24 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababcC dedexx fgfgcC hihijj |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 829 |
Words | 159 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"A Presentiment" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40265/a-presentiment>.
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