Microcosmography



He looks beyond the veils of night and day;
He hearkens in the silence, and has heard
The ancient woods by dryad singing stirred,
To mortal ears how thin and far away.
With what gross laughter yet he turns to play
With slaves of vice and virtue and the herd
Of flopping little Calibans, that gird
At muddy boots and call them feet of clay.
Here you may loaf the valley or breast the hill,
Dive deep for pearl or sink your shaft for gold,
Or watch Love, laughing, flit in the summer nights.
Sit by the mud and sniff it as you will,
If you but lift your eyes an inch, behold
The moving tide and broken glimmer of lights.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDECDE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 613
Words 123
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

John Le Gay Brereton

John Le Gay Brereton was an Australian poet, critic and professor of English at the University of Sydney. He was the first president of the Fellowship of Australian Writers when it was formed in Sydney in 1928. more…

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    "Microcosmography" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/23683/microcosmography>.

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