The Better Part
Matthew Arnold 1822 (Laleham) – 1888 (Liverpool)
Long fed on boundless hopes, O race of man,
How angrily thou spurn'st all simpler fare!
'Christ,' some one says, 'was human as we are;
No judge eyes us from Heaven, our sin to scan;
We live no more when we have done our span.'--
'Well, then, for Christ,' thou answerest, 'who can care?
From sin, which Heaven records not, why forbear?
Live we like brutes our life without a plan!'
So answerest thou; but why not rather say,
'Hath man no second life?--Pitch this one high!
Sits there no judge in Heaven our sin to see?--
More strictly, then, the inward judge obey!
Was Christ a man like us?--Ah! let us try
If we then, too, can be such men as he!'
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 82 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCAABBADEFDEF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 641 |
Words | 133 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"The Better Part" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/27285/the-better-part>.
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