A Minor Poet
Stephen Vincent Benet 1898 (Bethlehem) – 1943 (New York City)
I am a shell. From me you shall not hear
The splendid tramplings of insistent drums,
The orbed gold of the viol's voice that comes,
Heavy with radiance, languorous and clear.
Yet, if you hold me close against the ear,
A dim, far whisper rises clamorously,
The thunderous beat and passion of the sea,
The slow surge of the tides that drown the mere.
Others with subtle hands may pluck the strings,
Making even Love in music audible,
And earth one glory. I am but a shell
That moves, not of itself, and moving sings;
Leaving a fragrance, faint as wine new-shed,
A tremulous murmur from great days long dead.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 60 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBCADXC EDDEFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 613 |
Words | 112 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"A Minor Poet" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35780/a-minor-poet>.
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