The Emperor Of Ice-Cream

Wallace Stevens 1879 (Reading) – 1955 (Hartford)



Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

Take from the dresser of deal.
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 20, 2023

34 sec read
266

Quick analysis:

Scheme axaxxxbB xxxxccbB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 587
Words 114
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Wallace Stevens

Wallace Stevens was an American Modernist poet. more…

All Wallace Stevens poems | Wallace Stevens Books

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