Chamfort

Carl Sandburg 1878 (Galesburg) – 1967 (Flat Rock)



There's Chamfort. He’s a sample.
Locked himself in his library with a gun,
Shot off his nose and shot out his right eye.
And this Chamfort knew how to write
And thousands read his books on how to live,
But he himself didn’t know
How to die by force of his own hand—see?
They found him a red pool on the carpet
Cool as an April forenoon,
Talking and talking gay maxims and grim epigrams.
Well, he wore bandages over his nose and right eye,
Drank coffee and chatted many years
With men and women who loved him
Because he laughed and daily dared Death:
“Come and take me.”

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
117

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHBGCIJKG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 585
Words 112
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor best known for poetry. more…

All Carl Sandburg poems | Carl Sandburg Books

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