How Shall I Build
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt 1840 (Petworth House) – 1922 (United Kingdom)
How shall I build my temple to the Lord,
Unworthy I, who am thus foul of heart?
How shall I worship who no traitor word
Know but of love to play a suppliant's part?
How shall I pray, whose soul is as a mart,
For thoughts unclean, whose tongue is as a sword
Even for those it loves to wound and smart?
Behold how little I can help Thee, Lord.
The Temple I would build should be all white,
Each stone the record of a blameless day;
The souls that entered there should walk in light,
Clothed in high chastity and wisely gay.
Lord, here is darkness. Yet this heart unwise,
Bruised in Thy service, take in sacrifice.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 45 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABXBBABA CDCDXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 606 |
Words | 120 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"How Shall I Build" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/38738/how-shall-i-build>.
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