And Thus In Nineveh
Ezra Pound 1885 (Hailey) – 1972 (Venice)
Aye! I am a poet and upon my tomb
Shall maidens scatter rose leaves
And men myrtles, ere the night
Slays day with her dark sword.
'Lo ! this thing is not mine
Nor thine to hinder,
For the custom is full old,
And here in Nineveh have I beheld
Many a singer pass and take his place
In those dim halls where no man troubleth
His sleep or song.
And many a one hath sung his songs
More craftily, more subtle-souled than I;
And many a one now doth surpass
My wave-worn beauty with his wind of flowers,
Yet am I poet, and upon my tomb
Shall all men scatter rose leaves
Ere the night slay light
With her blue sword.
‘It is not, Raana, that my song rings highest
Or more sweet in tone than any, but that I
Am here a Poet, that doth drink of life
As lesser men drink wine.’
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 18, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 159 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCD EXXCXXXXFXXABCD XFXE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 753 |
Words | 157 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 15, 4 |
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"And Thus In Nineveh" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/13195/and-thus-in-nineveh>.
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