The Last Word
Matthew Arnold 1822 (Laleham) – 1888 (Liverpool)
Creep into thy narrow bed,
Creep, and let no more be said!
Vain thy onset! all stands fast.
Thou thyself must break at last.
Let the long contention cease!
Geese are swans, and swans are geese.
Let them have it how they will!
Thou art tired: best be still.
They out-talked thee, hissed thee, tore thee?
Better men fared thus before thee;
Fired their ringing shot and passed,
Hotly charged - and sank at last.
Charge once more, then, and be dumb!
Let the victors, when they come,
When the forts of folly fall,
Find thy body by the wall!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 30 sec read
- 216 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CCDD EEBB FFGG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 543 |
Words | 102 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Last Word" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/27291/the-last-word>.
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