Intellectuals

Robinson Jeffers 1887 (Allegheny) – 1962 (Carmel-by-the-Sea)



Is it so hard for men to stand by themselves,
They must hang on Marx or Christ, or mere Progress?
Clearly it is hard. But these ought to be leaders . . .
Sheep leading sheep, 'The fold, the fold.
Night comes, and the wolves of doubt.' Clearly it is hard.

Yourself, if you had not encountered and loved
Our unkindly all but inhuman God,
Who is very beautiful and too secure to want worshippers,
And includes indeed the sheep with the wolves,
You too might have been looking about for a church.

He includes the flaming stars and pitiable flesh,
And what we call things and what we call nothing.
He is very beautiful. But when these lonely have travelled
Through long thoughts to redeeming despair,
They are tired and cover their eyes; they flock into fold.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
65

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXABX XXAXX XXXXB
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 748
Words 138
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5

Robinson Jeffers

John Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. more…

All Robinson Jeffers poems | Robinson Jeffers Books

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