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Crossed Oars

Boris Pasternak 1890 (Moscow) – 1960 (Peredelkino)

My boat throbbed in the drowsy depths,
willows bowed, kissing collarbones,
elbows and rowlocks – oh wait, yes,
all of this might happen to anyone!

Isn’t it all just trivial…a singing.
Isn’t its meaning – the lilac petals on
water, camomile’s sensuous sinking
lip on lip, into starry extinction!

Isn’t its meaning – clasping the sky,
arms embracing mighty Hercules,
isn’t its meaning – for endless lives,
squandering on nightingales your glory!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 09, 2023

22 sec read
395

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAXB CXCB XXXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 460
Words 74
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Full analysis for Crossed Oars »

Boris Pasternak

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator. more…

All Boris Pasternak poems | Boris Pasternak Books

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