The World's Advance
George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)
Judge mildly the tasked world; and disincline
To brand it, for it bears a heavy pack.
You have perchance observed the inebriate's track
At night when he has quitted the inn-sign:
He plays diversions on the homeward line,
Still that way bent albeit his legs are slack:
A hedge may take him, but he turns not back,
Nor turns this burdened world, of curving spine.
'Spiral,' the memorable Lady terms
Our mind's ascent: our world's advance presents
That figure on a flat; the way of worms.
Cherish the promise of its good intents,
And warn it, not one instinct to efface
Ere Reason ripens for the vacant place.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 102 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBACDCEFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 601 |
Words | 111 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"The World's Advance" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15676/the-world's-advance>.
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