Expectans Expectavi
Charles Hamilton Sorley 1895 (Aberdeen) – 1915 (Hulluch, Lens)
From morn to midnight, all day through,
I laugh and play as others do,
I sin and chatter, just the same
As others with a different name.
And all year long upon the stage
I dance and tumble and do rage
So vehemently, I scarcely see
The inner and eternal me.
I have a temple I do not
Visit, a heart I have forgot,
A self that I have never met,
A secret shrine -- and yet, and yet
This sanctuary of my soul
Unwitting I keep white and whole,
Unlatched and lit, if Thou should'st care
To enter or to tarry there.
With parted lips and outstretched hands
And listening ears Thy servant stands,
Call Thou early, call Thou late,
To Thy great service dedicate.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 95 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIJJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 639 |
Words | 128 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Expectans Expectavi" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/5095/expectans-expectavi>.
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