Fate

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



Alas, alas, for the tourist's guide!
He turned from the beaten trail aside,
Wandered bewildered, lay down and died.

O grim is the Irony of Fate:
It switches the man of low estate
And loosens the dogs upon the great.

It lights the fireman to roast the cook;
The fisherman squirms upon the hook,
And the flirt is slain with a tender look.

The undertaker it overtakes;
It saddles the cavalier, and makes
The haughtiest butcher into steaks.

Assist me, gods, to balk the decree!
Nothing I'll do and nothing I'll be,
In order that nothing be done to me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 24, 2023

31 sec read
76

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAA BBB CCC DDD EEE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 541
Words 102
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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    "Fate" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1775/fate>.

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