The Birthright
Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)
The miracle of our land's speech--so known
And long received, none marvel when 'tis shown!
We have such wealth as Rome at her most pride
Had not or (having) scattered not so wide;
Nor with such arrant prodigality,
Beneath her any pagan's foot let lie...
Lo! Diamond that cost some half their days
To find and t'other half to bring to blaze:
Rubies of every heat, wherethrough we scan
The fiercer and more fiery heart of man:
Emerald that with the uplifted billow vies,
And Sapphires evening remembered skies:
Pearl perfect, as immortal tears must show,
Bred, in deep waters, of a piercing woe;
And tender Turkis, so with charms y-writ,
Of woven gold, Time dares not bite on it.
Thereafter, in all manners worked and set,
Jade, coral, amber, crystal ivories, jet,--
Showing no more than various fancies, yet
Each a Life's token or Love's amulet
Which things, through timeless arrogance of use,
We neither guard nor garner, but abuse;
So that our scholars--nay, our children-fling
In sport or jest treasure to arm a King;
And the gross crowd, at feast or market, hold
Traffic perforce with dust of gems and gold!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 13, 2023
- 1:00 min read
- 168 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AA BBBXCCDDEEFFGGHHHXIIJJKK |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,093 |
Words | 196 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 24 |
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"The Birthright" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33377/the-birthright>.
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