Such, Such Is Death
Charles Hamilton Sorley 1895 (Aberdeen) – 1915 (Hulluch, Lens)
Such, such is Death: no triumph: no defeat:
Only an empty pail, a slate rubbed clean,
A merciful putting away of what has been.
And this we know: Death is not Life, effete,
Life crushed, the broken pail. We who have seen
So marvellous things know well the end not yet.
Victor and vanquished are a-one in death:
Coward and brave: friend, foe. Ghosts do not say,
"Come, what was your record when you drew breath?"
But a big blot has hid each yesterday
So poor, so manifestly incomplete.
And your bright Promise, withered long and sped,
Is touched, stirs, rises, opens and grows sweet
And blossoms and is you, when you are dead.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 108 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABX ABX CDCDAEAE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 633 |
Words | 117 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 3, 8 |
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"Such, Such Is Death" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/5099/such,-such-is-death>.
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