Immortality
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Full well I trow that when I die
Down drops the curtain;
Another show is all my eye
And Betty Martin.
I know the score, and with a smile
Of rueful rating,
I reckon I am not worth while
Perpetuating.
I hope that God,--if God there be
Of love and glory,
Will let me off Eternity,
And end my story.
Will count me just a worn-out bit
Of human matter,
Who's done his job or bungled it,
--More like the latter.
I did not beg for mortal breath,
Plus hell or Heaven;
So let the last pay-off be death,
And call it even.
To Nature I will pay my debt
With stoic laughter:
But spare me, God, your awful threat
Of Life Here-after!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 96 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EEEEFGFG HBHXIGIG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 719 |
Words | 126 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"Immortality" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32182/immortality>.
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