The Poet's Testament
George Santayana 1863 (Madrid) – 1952 (Rome)
I give back to the earth what the earth gave,
All to the furrow, none to the grave,
The candle's out, the spirit's vigil spent;
Sight may not follow where the vision went.
I leave you but the sound of many a word
In mocking echoes haply overheard,
I sang to heaven. My exile made me free,
from world to world, from all worlds carried me.
Spared by the furies, for the Fates were kind,
I paced the pillared cloisters of the mind;
All times my present, everywhere my place,
Nor fear, nor hope, nor envy saw my face.
Blow what winds would, the ancient truth was mine,
And friendship mellowed in the flush of wine,
And heavenly laughter, shaking from its wings
Atoms of light and tears for mortal things.
To trembling harmonies of field and cloud,
Of flesh and spirit was my worship vowed.
Let form, let music, let all quickening air
Fulfil in beauty my imperfect prayer.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 53 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIJJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 856 |
Words | 162 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"The Poet's Testament" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15802/the-poet's-testament>.
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