Alma Mater
Edwin Arlington Robinson 1869 – 1935
He knocked, and I beheld him at the door--
A vision for the gods to verify.
"What battered ancient is this," thought I,
"And when, if ever, did we meet before?"
But ask him as I might, I got no more
For answer than a moaning and a cry:
Too late to parley, but in time to die,
He staggered, and lay ahapeless on the floor.
When had I known him? And what brought him here?
Love, warning, malediction, fear?
Surely I never thwarted such as he?--
Again, what soiled obscurity was this:
Out of what scum, and up from what abyss,
Had they arrived--these rags of memory.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 29, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 83 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA XXCDDC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 570 |
Words | 113 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"Alma Mater" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/9931/alma-mater>.
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