Hermes
Francis Thompson 1859 (City of Preston, Lancashire) – 1907 (London)
Soothsay. Behold, with rod twy-serpented,
Hermes the prophet, twining in one power
The woman with the man. Upon his head
The cloudy cap, wherewith he hath in dower
The cloud's own virtue--change and counterchange,
To show in light, and to withdraw in pall,
As mortal eyes best bear. His lineage strange
From Zeus, Truth's sire, and maiden May--the all-
Illusive Nature. His fledged feet declare
That 'tis the nether self transdeified,
And the thrice-furnaced passions, which do bear
The poet Olympusward. In him allied
Both parents clasp; and from the womb of Nature
Stern Truth takes flesh in shows of lovely feature.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 105 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABACDEDFGAGABB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 613 |
Words | 104 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Hermes" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13913/hermes>.
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