How few are we. Probably three...
Boris Pasternak 1890 (Moscow) – 1960 (Peredelkino)
How few are we. Probably three
In all-coallike, burning, infernal
Beneath the grey bark of the tree
Of wisdom, and clouds, and eternal
Debate on verse, transport, the part
The army will play-and on art.
We used to be human. We're eras,
We're trains, in a caravan ripping
Through woods, to the sighing and fears
Of engines, and groans of the sleepers.
We'll rush in, and circle in the throes
Of being, like a whirlwind of crows.
A miss! Much too late you will see it.
Thus galloping wind in the morning
In passing a straw pile will buffet-
The blow will live on as a warning
To riotous tree-tops, and mingle
With their wrangles over the shingles.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 62 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCC XDXXEE XDXDBX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 636 |
Words | 120 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
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"How few are we. Probably three..." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/4495/how--few-are-we.-probably-three...>.
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