The Poet To Be Yet

Arthur Henry Adams 1872 (Lawrence) – 1936 (Sydney, New South Wales)



NOT he who sings smooth songs that soothe—
 Sweet opiates that lull asleep
 The sorrow that would only weep;
 There are some spirit-stains so deep
 That only tears may wash away.  
  Not he whose lays thrill fiercely till
 The soul is sick with surfeiting,
 Such passion flies, and leaves its sting,
 Till through the body quivering
 The wearied dull pain throbs again.  
  Not he whose glad voice says “Rejoice!”
 For whom no clouds o'ercast the sky;
 Whose god is in his heaven so high
 That this dull world he come not nigh:
 Life is no sun-kissed optimist!  
  But he who Sorrow's presence knows,
 Who hears the minor chords beneath
 The song of life, and feels the breath
 Upon his cheek of quiet death,
 Yet stirs and sings of life and love.  
  Who in his suffering yet can sing;
 With that calm pathos in his face—
 The hopeless yearning of the race—
 Can chant the faith that holds its place,
 Upsurging through each sore heart's speech;  
 
  Who, though his heart bleed, onward leads;
 Who knows eternal is our quest,
 Yet bids us toil and strive—not rest—
 Who looks life o'er and takes its best—
 This is the poet to be yet!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
61

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAAAXXBBBXXBCCXXXDDXBEEEX XFFFX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,155
Words 203
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 25, 5

Arthur Henry Adams

Arthur Henry Adams was a journalist and author. He started his career in New Zealand, though he spent most of it in Australia, and for a short time lived in China and London.  more…

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    Who wrote the poem ״Invictus״?
    A William Ernest Henley
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Oscar Wilde
    D Thomas Hardy