The Mystery
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
I WAS not; now I am — a few days hence
I shall not be; I fain would look before
And after, but can neither do; some Power
Or lack of power says 'no' to all I would.
I stand upon a wide and sunless plain,
Nor chart nor steel to guide my steps aright.
Whene'er, o'ercoming fear, I dare to move,
I grope without direction and by chance.
Some feign to hear a voice and feel a hand
That draws them ever upward thro' the gloom.
But I — I hear no voice and touch no hand,
Tho' oft thro' silence infinite I list,
And strain my hearing to supernal sounds;
Tho' oft thro' fateful darkness do I reach,
And stretch my hand to find that other hand.
I question of th' eternal bending skies
That seem to neighbor with the novice earth;
But they roll on, and daily shut their eyes
On me, as I one day shall do on them,
And tell me not the secret that I ask.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 24, 2023
- 52 sec read
- 301 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCDEDFGHIHJKLHMNMOP |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 835 |
Words | 174 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
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"The Mystery" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28921/the-mystery>.
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