Alexander By Thebes

Anna Akhmatova 1889 (Odessa) – 1966 (Moscow)



I think, the king was fierce, though young,
When he proclaimed, 'You’ll level Thebes with ground.'
And the old chief perceived this city proud,
He’d seen in times that are in sagas sung.
Set all to fire! The king listed else
The towers, the gates, the temples – rich and thriving…
But sank in thoughts, and said with lighted face,
'You just provide the Bard Home’s surviving.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

20 sec read
138

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCADEFE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 387
Words 71
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 8

Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova was born in 1889 in Odessa on the Black Sea coast. In 1910 she married Nikolai Gumilev, who was also a poet. He was shot as an alleged counter-revolutionary in 1921. Very little of Akhmatova's poetry was published between 1923 and 1941. After Stalin's death her poetry began to be published again. She died in 1966, in a suburb of Moscow. more…

All Anna Akhmatova poems | Anna Akhmatova Books

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