Out of Superstition

Boris Pasternak 1890 (Moscow) – 1960 (Peredelkino)



A box of glazed sour fruit compact,
My narrow room.
And oh the grime of lodging rooms
This side the tomb!

This cubbyhole, out of superstition,
I chose once more.
The walls seem dappled oaks; the door,
A singing door.

You strove to leave; my hand was steady
Upon the latch.
My forelock touched a wondrous forehead;
My lips felt violets.

O Sweet! Your dress as on a day
Not long ago
To April, like a snowdrop, chirps
A gay 'Hello!'

No vestal-you, I know: You came
With a chair today,
Took down my life as from a shelf,
And blew the dust away.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
60

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBBB XXXX CDXD XCXC
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 547
Words 107
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

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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