At the Church-Gate
William Makepeace Thackeray 1811 – 1863
Although I enter not,
Yet round about the spot,
Ofttimes I hover,
And near the sacred gate,
With longing eyes I wait,
Expectant of her.
The minster-bell tolls out
Above the city's rout,
And noise and humming;
They've hushed the minster-bell,
The organ 'gins to swell, --
She's coming, -- coming!
My lady comes at last,
Timid and stepping fast,
And hastening hither,
With modest eyes downcast;
She comes, -- she's here, -- she's past;
May heaven go with her!
Kneel undisturbed, fair saint,
Pour out your praise or plaint
Meekly and duly;
I will not enter there,
To sully your pure prayer,
With thoughts unruly.
But suffer me to pace
Round the forbidden place,
Lingering a minute,
Like outcast spirits who wait,
And see, through heaven's gate,
Angels within it.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 76 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABCCB DDEFFE GGBGGB XAHIIH JJXCCX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 767 |
Words | 133 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"At the Church-Gate" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40999/at-the-church-gate>.
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