II from Life’s Testament

William Baylebridge 1883 (Brisbane) – 1942



The brain, the blood, the busy thews
That quickened in the primal ooze
Support me yet; till ice shall grip
The heart of Earth, no strength they’ll lose.

They take my thought, they laugh, they run—
Ere megatherial moons, begun;
And shall, till they shall drop within
The shattering whirlwinds of the sun.

In subtle and essential ways,
Rich with innumerable days,
To mould, to charge, to impel me still,
Each through my broadest being plays.

They surged to this hour, this transfuse—
The brain, the blood, the busy thews;
That act of mine the ultimate stars
Shall look on sprang in primal ooze.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
118

Quick analysis:

Scheme Aaxa bbxb aaxa aAaa
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 591
Words 106
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

William Baylebridge

William Baylebridge, born Charles William Blocksidge, was an Australian poet and short-story writer. Blocksidge was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the son of George Henry Blocksidge, an auctioneer and estate agent. more…

All William Baylebridge poems | William Baylebridge Books

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