I Went Down into the Desert
Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)
I went down into the desert
To meet Elijah—
Arisen from the dead.
I thought to. find him in an echoing cave;
For so my dream had said.
I went down into the desert
To meet John the Baptist.
I walked with feet that bled,
Seeking that prophet lean and brown and bold.
I spied foul fiends instead.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
By him be comforted.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
And I met the devil in red.
I went down into the desert
To meet my God.
O, Lord my God, awaken from the dead!
I see you there, your thorn-crown on the ground,
I see you there, half-buried in the sand.
I see you there, your white bones glistening, bare,
The carrion-birds a-wheeling round your head.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 76 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | Axbxb Axbxb ACxACb ACbxxxb |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 689 |
Words | 141 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 6, 7 |
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"I Went Down into the Desert" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37298/i-went-down-into-the-desert>.
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