Failure

Rupert Brooke 1887 (Rugby) – 1915 (Aegean Sea)




Because God put His adamantine fate
 Between my sullen heart and its desire,
I swore that I would burst the Iron Gate,
 Rise up, and curse Him on His throne of fire.
Earth shuddered at my crown of blasphemy,
 But Love was as a flame about my feet;
 Proud up the Golden Stair I strode; and beat
Thrice on the Gate, and entered with a cry --

All the great courts were quiet in the sun,
 And full of vacant echoes:  moss had grown
Over the glassy pavement, and begun
 To creep within the dusty council-halls.
An idle wind blew round an empty throne
 And stirred the heavy curtains on the walls.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
132

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABXCCX DEDFEF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 586
Words 114
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Rupert Brooke

Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". more…

All Rupert Brooke poems | Rupert Brooke Books

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    "Failure" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/33677/failure>.

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