Sanctuary
Elinor Morton Wylie 1885 (Somerville, New Jersey) – 1928 (New York City, New York)
This is the bricklayer; hear the thud
Of his heavy load dumped down on stone.
His lustrous bricks are brighter than blood,
His smoking mortar whiter than bone.
Set each sharp-edged, fire-bitten brick
Straight by the plumb-line's shivering length;
Make my marvelous wall so thick
Dead nor living may shake its strength.
Full as a crystal cup with drink
Is my cell with dreams, and quiet, and cool. . . .
Stop, old man! You must leave a chink;
How can I breathe? You can't, you fool!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 26 sec read
- 133 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 487 |
Words | 86 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4 |
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"Sanctuary" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10168/sanctuary>.
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