The White Lady

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



I cannot rest, I cannot rest
  In straight and shiny wood,
My woven hands upon my breast--
  The dead are all so good!

The earth is cool across their eyes;
  They lie there quietly.
But I am neither old nor wise;
  They do not welcome me.

Where never I walked alone before,
  I wander in the weeds;
And people scream and bar the door,
  And rattle at their beads.

We cannot rest, we never rest
  Within a narrow bed
Who still must love the living best--
  Who hate the pompous dead!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

27 sec read
378

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF AGAG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 475
Words 93
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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