Campus Sonnets: 1. Before An Examination
Stephen Vincent Benet 1898 (Bethlehem) – 1943 (New York City)
The little letters dance across the page,
Flaunt and retire, and trick the tired eyes;
Sick of the strain, the glaring light, I rise
Yawning and stretching, full of empty rage
At the dull maunderings of a long dead sage,
Fling up the windows, fling aside his lies;
Choosing to breathe, not stifle and be wise,
And let the air pour in upon my cage.
The breeze blows cool and there are stars and stars
Beyond the dark, soft masses of the elms
That whisper things in windy tones and light.
They seem to wheel for dim, celestial wars;
And I -- I hear the clash of silver helms
Ring icy-clear from the far deeps of night.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 6 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAABBA XCDXCD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 606 |
Words | 118 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6 |
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"Campus Sonnets: 1. Before An Examination" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/56671/campus-sonnets:-1.-before-an-examination>.
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