Henry C. Calhoun
Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)
I reached the highest place in Spoon River,
But through what bitterness of spirit!
The face of my father, sitting speechless,
Child-like, watching his canaries,
And looking at the court-house window
Of the county judge's room,
And his admonitions to me to seek
My own in life, and punish Spoon River
To avenge the wrong the people did him,
Filled me with furious energy
To seek for wealth and seek for power.
But what did he do but send me along
The path that leads to the grove of the Furies?
I followed the path and I tell you this:
On the way to the grove you'll pass the Fates,
Shadow-eyed, bent over their weaving.
Stop for a moment, and if you see
The thread of revenge leap out of the shuttle,
Then quickly snatch from Atropos
The shears and cut it, lest your sons,
And the children of them and their children
Wear the envenomed robe.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 48 sec read
- 94 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCDEFGAHIAJCKLMINCOPQ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 828 |
Words | 159 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 22 |
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"Henry C. Calhoun" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8596/henry-c.-calhoun>.
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