Awake
Calm as that moonbeam on the wall,
Sleep broods on baby's eyes;
Arms, hush'd and still, but pulsing quick,
Enfold him as he lies;
My brain is full of thronging thoughts,
Strange passions thrill my breast,
My heart aches with a load of love
That will not let me rest.
The dim years stand about my bed,
They neither smile nor weep;
Like softest kisses, on my face
The little fingers creep.
I hear slow footfalls, in the night
Of fates upon his track,—
O love, I cannot let you go!
I cannot keep you back!
Lord, let him shelter in my arms,
Or take us both to Thine;
Or, if a troublous life must come,
Make all the trouble mine:
Or let thy sharp swords pierce my heart
To blunt them for the child,—
What care I, Lord, for stain and shame,
So he keep undefiled!
Nay, Lord, I know not what I ask—
I know not how to pray:
Hear Thou the crying mother-soul,
And not the words I say.
Do Thou what seemeth good to Thee,
So he be spared from sin;
And, oh! if love can aught avail,
Let mine be counted in.
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Submitted by acronimous on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 23, 2023
- 1:00 min read
- 124 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAXAXBXB XCXCXDXD XEXEXXXB XFXFXGXG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 975 |
Words | 201 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
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"Awake" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/46/awake>.
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