Madness

Joyce Kilmer 1886 (New Brunswick) – 1918 (Seringes-et-Nesles)



(For Sara Teasdale)

The lonely farm, the crowded street,
 The palace and the slum,
Give welcome to my silent feet
 As, bearing gifts, I come.

Last night a beggar crouched alone,
 A ragged helpless thing;
I set him on a moonbeam throne --
 Today he is a king.

Last night a king in orb and crown
 Held court with splendid cheer;
Today he tears his purple gown
 And moans and shrieks in fear.

Not iron bars, nor flashing spears,
 Not land, nor sky, nor sea,
Nor love's artillery of tears
 Can keep mine own from me.

Serene, unchanging, ever fair,
 I smile with secret mirth
And in a net of mine own hair
 I swing the captive earth.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 11, 2023

36 sec read
106

Quick analysis:

Scheme X ABAB CDCD EFEF XGXG HIHI
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 621
Words 120
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Joyce Kilmer

Joyce Kilmer was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees", which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. more…

All Joyce Kilmer poems | Joyce Kilmer Books

3 fans

Discuss the poem Madness with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Madness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/24641/madness>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    22
    hours
    6
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Sestina is made up of how many lines?
    A 36
    B 39
    C 28
    D 6