Death's Subtle Ways
James Shirley 1596 (London) – 1666 (London)
Victorious men of earth, no more
Proclaim how wide your empires are;
Though you bind in every shore
And your triumphs reach as far
As night or day,
Yet you, proud monarchs, must obey
And mingle with forgotten ashes when
Death calls ye to the crowd of common men.
Devouring Famine, Plague, and War,
Each able to undu mankind,
Death's servile emissaries are;
Nor to these alone confined,
He hath at will
More quaint and subtle ways to kill;
A smile or kiss, as he will use the art,
Shall have the cunning skill to break a heart.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 30 sec read
- 31 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | ABABCCDD AEBEFFGG |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
| Characters | 534 |
| Words | 100 |
| Stanzas | 2 |
| Stanza Lengths | 8, 8 |
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"Death's Subtle Ways" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20494/death's-subtle-ways>.
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