The Alchemist's Petition

Vachel Lindsay 1879 (Springfield) – 1931 (Springfield)



Thou wilt not sentence to eternal life
My soul that prays that it may sleep and sleep
Like a white statue dropped into the deep,
Covered with sand, covered with chests of gold,
And slave-bones, tossed from many a pirate hold.

But for this prayer thou wilt not bind in Hell
My soul, that shook with love for Fame and Truth—
In Such unquenched desires consumed his youth—
Let me turn dust, like dead leaves in the Fall,
Or wood that lights an hour your knightly hall—

Amen.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

27 sec read
353

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAABB XCCDD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 476
Words 90
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 5, 5

Vachel Lindsay

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. more…

All Vachel Lindsay poems | Vachel Lindsay Books

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    "The Alchemist's Petition" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37339/the-alchemist's-petition>.

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