The Decay Of A People
William Gilmore Simms 1806 (Charleston) – 1870 (Charleston)
THIS the true sign of ruin to a race—
It undertakes no march, and day by day
Drowses in camp, or, with the laggard’s pace,
Walks sentry o’er possessions that decay;
Destined, with sensible waste, to fleet away;—
For the first secret of continued power
Is the continued conquest;—all our sway
Hath surety in the uses of the hour;
If that we waste, in vain walled town and lofty tower!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 22 sec read
- 306 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABBCBCC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 412 |
Words | 74 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 9 |
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"The Decay Of A People" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40631/the-decay-of-a-people>.
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