Quickness
Henry Vaughan 1621 (Brecknockshire) – 1695
False life, a foil and no more, when
Wilt thou be gone?
Thou foul deception of all men
That would not have the true come on.
Thou art a moon-like toil, a blind
Self-posing state,
A dark contest of waves and wind,
A mere tempestuous debate.
Life is a fixed, discerning light,
A knowing joy;
No chance or fit, but ever bright
And calm and full, yet doth not cloy.
'Tis such a blissful thing that still
Doth vivify
And shine and smile and hath the skill
To please without eternity.
Thou art a toilsome mole, or less;
A moving mist;
But life is what none can express:
A quickness which my God hath kissed.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 371 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AXAX BCBC DEDE FXFX GHGH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 590 |
Words | 117 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Quickness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18434/quickness>.
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