To One Detested
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
Sir, you're a veteran, revealed
In history and fable
As warrior since you took the field,
Defeating Abel.
As Commissary later (or
If not, in every cottage
The tale is) you contracted for
A mess of pottage.
In civil life you were, we read
(And our respect increases)
A man of peace-a man, indeed,
Of thirty pieces.
To paying taxes when you turned
Your mind, or what you call so,
A wide celebrity you earned
Saphira also.
In every age, by various names,
You've won renown in story,
But on your present record flames
A greater glory.
Cain, Esau, and Iscariot, too,
And Ananias, likewise,
Each had peculiar powers, but who
Could lie as Mike lies?
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 92 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD XEXE FGFG HIHI JKJK |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 627 |
Words | 118 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"To One Detested" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/2015/to-one-detested>.
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