Presumption

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



Whenever I am prone to doubt or wonder -
 I check myself, and say, 'That mighty One
Who made the solar system cannot blunder -
 And for the best all things are being done.'
Who set the stars on their eternal courses
 Has fashioned this strange earth by come sure plan.
Bow low, bow low to those majestic forces,
 Nor dare to doubt their wisdom - puny man.

You cannot put one little star in motion,
 You cannot shape one single forest leaf,
Nor fling a mountain up, nor sink an ocean,
 Presumptuous pigmy, large with unbelief.
You cannot bring one dawn of regal splendour
 Nor bid the day to shadowy twilight fall,
Nor send the pale moon forth with radiance tender,
 And dare you doubt the One who has done all?

'So much is wrong, there is such pain - such sinning.'
 Yet look again - behold how much is right!
And He who formed the world from its beginning
 Knows how o guide it upward to the light.
Your task, O man, is not to carp and cavil
 At God's achievements, but with purpose strong
To cling to good, and turn away from evil -
 That is the way to help the world along.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 30, 2023

1:02 min read
117

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD BEBEAFAF GHGHFIXI
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,069
Words 210
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

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    "Presumption" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10766/presumption>.

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    How many syllables an Iambic Pentameter line must have?
    A 20
    B 10
    C 3
    D 12