Reading 'Hamlet'
Anna Akhmatova 1889 (Odessa) – 1966 (Moscow)
The lot by the graves was a dusty hot land;
The river behind -- blue and cool.
You told me, 'Well, go to a convent,
Or go marry a fool...'
Princes always say that, being placid or fierce,
But I cherish this speech, short and poor --
Let it flow and shine through a thousand years,
Like from shoulders do mantles of fur.
2
And, as if in wrong occasion,
I said, 'Thou,' else...
And an easy smile of pleasure
Lit up dear face.
From such lapses, told or mental,
Every cheek would blaze.
I love you as forty gentle
Sisters love and bless.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 17, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 174 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAXAXXXB XXBX CXCX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 528 |
Words | 108 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 4, 4 |
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"Reading 'Hamlet'" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3020/reading-'hamlet'>.
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