Davis Matlock

Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)



Suppose it is nothing but the hive:
That there are drones and workers
And queens, and nothing but storing honey --
(Material things as well as culture and wisdom) --
For the next generation, this generation never living,
Except as it swarms in the sun-light of youth,
Strengthening its wings on what has been gathered,
And tasting, on the way to the hive
From the clover field, the delicate spoil.
Suppose all this, and suppose the truth:
That the nature of man is greater
Than nature's need in the hive;
And you must bear the burden of life,
As well as the urge from your spirit's excess --
Well, I say to live it out like a god
Sure of immortal life, though you are in doubt,
Is the way to live it.
If that doesn't make God proud of you,
Then God is nothing but gravitation,
Or sleep is the golden goal.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

47 sec read
49

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGAHFIAJKLMNOPQ
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 794
Words 155
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 20

Edgar Lee Masters

Edgar Lee Masters was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. more…

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