Where Is David, the Next King of Israel?
Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)
Where is David? . . . O God's people,
Saul has passed, the good and great.
Mourn for Saul the first-anointed —
Head and shoulders o'er the state.
He was found among the Prophets:
Judge and monarch, merged in one.
But the wars of Saul are ended
And the works of Saul are done.
Where is David, ruddy shepherd,
God's boy-king for Israel?
Mystic, ardent, dowered with beauty,
Singing where still waters dwell?
Prophet, find that destined minstrel
Wandering on the range to-day,
Driving sheep and crooning softly
Psalms that cannot pass away.
"David waits," the prophet answers,
"In a black notorious den,
In a cave upon the border
With four hundred outlaw men.
"He is fair, and loved of women,
Mighty-hearted, born to sing:
Thieving, weeping, erring, praying,
Radiant royal rebel-king.
"He will come with harp and psaltry,
Quell his troop of convict swine,
Quell his mad-dog roaring rascals,
Witching them with words divine —
"They will ram the walls of Zion!
They will win us Salem hill,
All for David, Shepherd David —
Singing like a mountain rill!"
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 89 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCB XDCD XAEX AFEF XGHG DIII HJXJ DKXK |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,061 |
Words | 181 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Where Is David, the Next King of Israel?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37443/where-is-david,-the-next-king-of-israel?>.
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