A Lesson In Humility

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt 1840 (Petworth House) – 1922 (United Kingdom)



'Tis time, my soul, thou shouldst be purged of pride.
What men are these with thee, whose ill deeds done
Make thee thus shrink from them and be denied?
They are but as thou art, each mother's son
A convict in transgression. Here is one,
Sayest thou, who struck his fellow and he died.
And yet he weeps hot tears. Do thy tears run?
This other thieved, yet clasps Christ crucified.

Where is thy greater virtue? Thinkest thou sin
Is but crime's record on the judgment seat?
Or must thou wait for death to be bowed down?
Oh for a righteous reading which should join
Thy deeds together in an accusing sheet,
And leave thee if thou couldst, to face men's frown!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
46

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBABA XCDXCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 650
Words 124
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt was an English poet and writer. more…

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