George Gray

Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)



I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me --
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire --
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

39 sec read
274

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHEIBJKCCG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 646
Words 131
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Edgar Lee Masters

Edgar Lee Masters was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. more…

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