The Watcher

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



Put forth to watch, unschooled, alone,
'Twixt hostile earth and sky;
The mottled lizard 'neath the stone
Is wiser here than I.

What stir across the haze of heat?
What omen down the wind?
The buck that break before my feet--
They know, but I am blind!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

14 sec read
103

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 251
Words 49
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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    "The Watcher" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33603/the-watcher>.

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