The Squanderer

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



God gave him passions, splendid as the sun,
Meant for the lordliest purposes; a part
Of nature's full and fertile mother heart,
From which new systems and new stars are spun.
And now, behold, behold, what he has done!
In Folly's court and carnal Pleasures' mart
He flung the wealth life gave him at the start.
(This, of all mortal sins, the deadliest one.)

At dawn he stood, potential, opulent,
With virile manhood, and emotions keen,
And wonderful with God's creative fire.
At noon he stands, with Love's large fortune spent
In petty traffic, unproductive, mean-
A pauper, cursed with impotent desire.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
96

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBA XCDXCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 597
Words 105
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

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