Under the Surface

John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)



AY, smile as you will, with your saintly face!
But I know the line
Of your guard is as weak as a maze of lace:
You may give no sign—
And the devil is never far to seek,
And a rotten peach has a lovely cheek.

As they come in the stream, I say to you:
The lives we jostle are none of them true.
Who seeks with a lamp and glass may find
A nature of honor from core to rind;
But woe to the heart that is formed so true:
It may not reck, and it still must rue
The perjured lip and the bleeding vow.
God keep it blind to the things we know—
To the ghastly scars for the leech's eyes
And the occult lore of the worldly wise.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
122

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCC DDEEDDXXFF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 629
Words 135
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 10

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

All John Boyle O'Reilly poems | John Boyle O'Reilly Books

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    "Under the Surface" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22101/under-the-surface>.

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