The Poet's Forge
Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)
He lies on his back, the idling smith,
A lazy, dreaming fellow is he;
The sky is blue, or the sky is gray,
He lies on his back the livelong day,
Not a tool in sight, say what they may,
A curious sort of smith is he.
The powers of the air are in league with him;
The country around believes it well;
The wondering folk draw spying near;
Never sight nor sound do they see or hear;
No wonder they feel a little fear;
When is it his work is done so well?
Never sight nor sound to see or hear;
The powers of the air are in league with him;
High over his head his metals swing,
Fine gold and silver to shame the king;
We might distinguish their glittering,
If once we could get in league with him.
High over his head his metals swing;
He hammers them idly year by year,
Hammers and chuckles a low refrain:
"A bench and a book are a ball and a chain,
The adze is a better tool than the plane;
What's the odds between now and next year?"
Hammers and chuckles his low refrain,
A lazy, dreaming fellow is he:
When sudden, some day, his bells peal out,
And men, at the sound, for gladness shout;
He laughs and asks what it's all about;
Oh, a curious sort of smith is he.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:11 min read
- 55 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | xAbbba Cdefed fCGggc Gehhhe hAiiia |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,167 |
Words | 236 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"The Poet's Forge" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/17088/the-poet's-forge>.
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