The Power of Armies Is a Visible Thing
William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)
The power of Armies is a visible thing,
Formal, and circumscribed in time and space;
But who the limits of that power shall trace
Which a brave People into light can bring
Or hide, at will,--for freedom combating
By just revenge inflamed? No foot may chase,
No eye can follow, to a fatal place
That power, that spirit, whether on the wing
Like the strong wind, or sleeping like the wind
Within its awful caves.--From year to year
Springs this indigenous produce far and near;
No craft this subtle element can bind,
Rising like water from the soil, to find
In every nook a lip that it may cheer.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 227 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBACDDCCD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 602 |
Words | 113 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"The Power of Armies Is a Visible Thing" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/42371/the-power-of-armies-is-a-visible-thing>.
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