At the Tomb of Napoleon Before the Elections in America - November, 1912

Alan Seeger 1888 (New York City) – 1916



I stood beside his sepulchre whose fame,
Hurled over Europe once on bolt and blast,
Now glows far off as storm-clouds overpast
Glow in the sunset flushed with glorious flame.
Has Nature marred his mould? Can Art acclaim
No hero now, no man with whom men side
As with their hearts' high needs personified?
There are will say, One such our lips could name;
Columbia gave him birth. Him Genius most
Gifted to rule. Against the world's great man
Lift their low calumny and sneering cries
The Pharisaic multitude, the host
Of piddling slanderers whose little eyes
Know not what greatness is and never can.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAACCADEFDFE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 587
Words 105
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Alan Seeger

Alan Seeger was an American poet who fought and died in World War I during the Battle of the Somme serving in the French Foreign Legion. more…

All Alan Seeger poems | Alan Seeger Books

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    "At the Tomb of Napoleon Before the Elections in America - November, 1912" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/54649/at-the-tomb-of-napoleon-before-the-elections-in-america---november,-1912>.

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