Villanelle of Change
Edwin Arlington Robinson 1869 – 1935
Since Persia fell at Marathon,
The yellow years have gathered fast:
Long centuries have come and gone.
And yet (they say) the place will don
A phantom fury of the past,
Since Persia fell at Marathon;
And as of old, when Helicon
Trembled and swayed with rapture vast
(Long centuries have come and gone),
This ancient plain, when night comes on,
Shakes to a ghostly battle-blast,
Since Persia fell at Marathon.
But into soundless Acheron
The glory of Greek shame was cast:
Long centuries have come and gone,
The suns of Hellas have all shone,
The first has fallen to the last: --
Since Persia fell at Marathon,
Long centuries have come and gone.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 27, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 137 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AbC abA abC abA abC xbAC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 651 |
Words | 116 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4 |
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"Villanelle of Change" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10097/villanelle-of-change>.
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