Art

Herman Melville 1819 – 1891



In placid hours well-pleased we dream
Of many a brave unbodied scheme.
But form to lend, pulsed life create,
What unlike things must meet and mate:
A flame to melt--a wind to freeze;
Sad patience--joyous energies;
Humility--yet pride and scorn;
Instinct and study; love and hate;
Audacity--reverence. These must mate,
And fuse with Jacob's mystic heart,
To wrestle with the angel--Art.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

19 sec read
462

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDBBEE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 393
Words 63
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 11

Herman Melville

Herman Melville was an American writer best known for the novel Moby-Dick. more…

All Herman Melville poems | Herman Melville Books

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    "Art" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/19053/art>.

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