His Immortality
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
I
I saw a dead man's finer part
Shining within each faithful heart
Of those bereft. Then said I: "This must be
His immortality."
II
I looked there as the seasons wore,
And still his soul continuously upbore
Its life in theirs. But less its shine excelled
Than when I first beheld.
III
His fellow-yearsmen passed, and then
In later hearts I looked for him again;
And found him--shrunk, alas! into a thin
And spectral mannikin.
IV
Lastly I ask--now old and chill -
If aught of him remain unperished still;
And find, in me alone, a feeble spark,
Dying amid the dark.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 13, 2023
- 31 sec read
- 113 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABB CCXA DDXD EEFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 595 |
Words | 106 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"His Immortality" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36391/his-immortality>.
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