Sonnet IX.
Fernando Pessoa 1888 (Lisbon District) – 1935 (Lisbon)
Oh to be idle loving idleness!
But I am idle all in hate of me;
Ever in action's dream, in the false stress
Of purposed action never set to be.
Like a fierce beast self-penned in a bait-lair,
My will to act binds with excess my action,
Not-acting coils the thought with raged despair,
And acting rage doth paint despair distraction.
Like someone sinking in a treacherous sand,
Each gesture to deliver sinks the more;
The struggle avails not, and to raise no hand,
Though but more slowly useless, we've no power.
Hence live I the dead life each day doth bring,
Repurposed for next day's repurposing.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 10 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCBDEDEFGFHII |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 585 |
Words | 107 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Sonnet IX." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/55211/sonnet-ix.>.
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