East London

Matthew Arnold 1822 (Laleham) – 1888 (Liverpool)



'Twas August, and the fierce sun overhead
Smote on the squalid streets of Bethnal Green,
And the pale weaver, through his windows seen
In Spitalfields, looked thrice dispirited.
I met a preacher there I knew, and said:
"Ill and o'erworked, how fare you in this scene?" -
"Bravely!" said he; "for I of late have been
Much cheered with thoughts of Christ, the living bread."
O human soul! as long as thou canst so
Set up a mark of everlasting light,
Above the howling senses' ebb and flow,
To cheer thee, and to right thee if thou roam -
Not with lost toil thou labourest through the night!
Thou mak'st the heaven thou hop'st indeed thy home.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 15, 2023

36 sec read
146

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCABDAEFEGFG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 637
Words 122
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Matthew Arnold

Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. more…

All Matthew Arnold poems | Matthew Arnold Books

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