A Prayer
Claude McKay 1889 (Clarendon Parish) – 1948 (Chicago)
'Mid the discordant noises of the day I hear thee calling;
I stumble as I fare along Earth's way; keep me from falling.
Mine eyes are open but they cannot see for gloom of night:
I can no more than lift my heart to thee for inward light.
The wild and fiery passion of my youth consumes my soul;
In agony I turn to thee for truth and self-control.
For Passion and all the pleasures it can give will die the death;
But this of me eternally must live, thy borrowed breath.
'Mid the discordant noises of the day I hear thee calling;
I stumble as I fare along Earth's way; keep me from falling.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 22, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 226 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AA bb cc dd AA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic heptameter |
Characters | 597 |
Words | 117 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
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"A Prayer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/6838/a-prayer>.
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