Natural Music

Robinson Jeffers 1887 (Allegheny) – 1962 (Carmel-by-the-Sea)



The old voice of the ocean, the bird-chatter of little rivers,
(Winter has given them gold for silver
To stain their water and bladed green for brown to line their banks)
From different throats intone one language.
So I believe if we were strong enough to listen without
Divisions of desire and terror
To the storm of the sick nations, the rage of the hunger smitten cities,
Those voices also would be found
Clean as a child's; or like some girl's breathing who dances alone
By the ocean-shore, dreaming of lovers.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

28 sec read
203

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEBFGHA
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 513
Words 93
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10

Robinson Jeffers

John Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. more…

All Robinson Jeffers poems | Robinson Jeffers Books

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