A Comparison
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
The lapse of time and rivers is the same,
Both speed their journey with a restless stream;
The silent pace, with which they steal away,
No wealth can bribe, no prayers persuade to stay;
Alike irrevocable both when past,
And a wide ocean swallows both at last.
Though each resemble each in every part,
A difference strikes at length the musing heart;
Streams never flow in vain; where streams abound,
How laughs the land with various plenty crown’d!
But time, that should enrich the nobler mind,
Neglected, leaves a dreary waste behind.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 25, 2023
- 28 sec read
- 297 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCCDDEEFDGG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 534 |
Words | 94 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 12 |
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"A Comparison" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/39785/a-comparison>.
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