Stars were racing

Boris Pasternak 1890 (Moscow) – 1960 (Peredelkino)



Stars were racing; waves were washing headlands.
Salt went blind, and tears were slowly drying.
Darkened were the bedrooms; thoughts were racing,
And the Sphinx was listening to the desert.

Candles swam. It seemed that the Colossus'
Blood grew cold; upon his lips was spreading
The blue shadow smile of the Sahara.
With the turning tide the night was waning.

Sea-breeze from Morocco touched the water.
Simooms blew. In snowdrifts snored Archangel.
Candles swam; the rough draft of 'The Prophet'
Slowly dried, and dawn broke on the Ganges.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

27 sec read
53

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBX ABXB XXXA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 535
Words 90
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 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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