The Eagle and the Mole

Elinor Morton Wylie 1885 (Somerville, New Jersey) – 1928 (New York City, New York)



Avoid the reeking herd,
Shun the polluted flock,
Live like that stoic bird,
The eagle of the rock.

The huddled warmth of crowds
Begets and fosters hate;
He keeps above the clouds
His cliff inviolate.

When flocks are folded warm,
And herds to shelter run,
He sails above the storm,
He stares into the sun.

If in the eagle's track
Your sinews cannot leap,
Avoid the lathered pack,
Turn from the steaming sheep.

If you would keep your soul
From spotted sight or sound,
Live like the velvet mole:
Go burrow underground.

And there hold intercourse
With roots of trees and stones,
With rivers at their source,
And disembodied bones.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 11, 2023

33 sec read
54

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX DEDE FGFG HIHI JKJK
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 632
Words 112
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Elinor Morton Wylie

Elinor Morton Wylie was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry." more…

All Elinor Morton Wylie poems | Elinor Morton Wylie Books

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