In The Stalls
Arthur Symons 1865 (Milford Haven) – 1945
My life is like a music-hall,
Where, in the impotence of rage,
Chained by enchantment to my stall,
I see myself upon the stage
Dance to amuse a music-hall.
'Tis I that smoke this cigarette,
Lounge here, and laugh for vacancy,
And watch the dancers turn; and yet
It is my very self I see
Across the cloudy cigarette.
My very self that turns and trips,
Painted, pathetically gay,
An empty song upon the lips
In make-believe of holiday:
I, I, this thing that turns and trips!
The light flares in the music-hall,
The light, the sound, that weary us;
Hour follows hour, I count them all,
Lagging, and loud, and riotous:
My life is like a music-hall.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 101 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Ababa cdcdc efefe agagA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 652 |
Words | 120 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5 |
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"In The Stalls" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3967/in-the-stalls>.
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