The Immortals

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



If you should sail for Trebizond, or die,
Or cry another name in your first sleep,
Or see me board a train, and fail to sigh,
Appropriately, I'd clutch my breast and weep.
And you, if I should wander through the door,
Or sin, or seek a nunnery, or save
My lips and give my cheek, would tread the floor
And aptly mention poison and the grave.

Therefore the mooning world is gratified,
Quoting how prettily we sigh and swear;
And you and I, correctly side by side,
Shall live as lovers when our bones are bare
And though we lie forever enemies,
Shall rank with Abelard and Heloise.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 07, 2023

33 sec read
94

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 574
Words 111
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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    "The Immortals" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8256/the-immortals>.

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