When Heaving On The Stormy Waters
Fyodor Sologub 1863 (Saint Petersburg) – 1927 (Saint Petersburg)
When, heaving on the stormy waters,
I felt my ship beneath to sink,
I prayed, "Oh, Father Satan, save me,
Forgive me at death's utter brink!
"If you will save my soul embittered
From perishing before its hour,
The days to come, the nights that follow
I vow to vice, I pledge to power."
The Devil forthwith snatched and flung me
Into a boat; the sides were frail,
But on the bench the oars were lying
And in the bow an old gray sail.
And landward once again I carried
My outcast soul, bereft of kin,
Upon its sick and vicious sojourn
My body and its gift of sin.
And I am faithful, Father Satan,
Unto my evil hour's vow,
When from my drowning ship you saved me
And when I prayed you guide the prow.
To you descend my praises, Father,
No day from bitter blame exempt.
O'er worlds my blasphemy shall tower;
And I shall tempt -- and I shall tempt.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 50 sec read
- 95 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XABA XCXC BDXD XEXE XFBF CGCG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 830 |
Words | 166 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"When Heaving On The Stormy Waters" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/14496/when-heaving-on-the-stormy-waters>.
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