Analysis of The Truth
Archibald Lampman 1861 (Upper Canada) – 1899 (Ottawa, Canada)
Friend, though thy soul should burn thee, yet be still
Thoughts were not meant for strife, nor tongues for swords,
He that sees clear is gentlest of his words,
And that's not truth that hath the heart to kill.
The whole world's thought shall not one truth fulfil.
Dull in our age, and passionate in youth,
No mind of man hath found the perfect truth,
Nor shalt thou find it; therefore, friend, be still.
Watch and be still, nor hearken to the fool,
The babbler of consistency and rule:
Wisest is he, who, never quite secure,
Changes his thoughts for better day by day:
To-morrow some new light will shine, be sure,
And thou shalt see thy thought another way.
Scheme | AXXAABBA CCDEDE |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111111 1011111111 11111100111 0111110111 011111111 10101010001 1111110011 111111111 101111101 0101010001 1011110101 1011110111 1101111111 0111110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 653 |
Words | 122 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 256 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 60 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 111 Views
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"The Truth" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3716/the-truth>.
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