The Soldier

Robert Frost 1874 (San Francisco) – 1963 (Boston)



He is that fallen lance that lies as hurled,
That lies unlifted now, come dew, come rust,
But still lies pointed as it ploughed the dust.
If we who sight along it round the world,
See nothing worthy to have been its mark,
It is because like men we look too near,
Forgetting that as fitted to the sphere,
Our missiles always make too short an arc.
They fall, they rip the grass, they intersect
The curve of earth, and striking, break their own;
They make us cringe for metal-point on stone.
But this we know, the obstacle that checked
And tripped the body, shot the spirit on
Further than target ever showed or shone.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

35 sec read
588

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDCEFFEGF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 624
Words 117
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. more…

All Robert Frost poems | Robert Frost Books

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