IF I BE HUMBLE AND SO MEEK (Honoring a Poet Sage)



The more I read about this tale,
The more my poems seem so pale.

Not shining bright for your delight,
A master’s poems out of sight!

You must consider great the craft,
A poet tinkering with a draft.

To turn this draft into an art,
From which a reader cannot part.

That is a poem I should write;
One you consider not too trite.

I bid you thus to take a peek;
If I be humble and so meek.

Perhaps a comment, here or there,
Would show to me that you do care.

To humor me in some nice way;
To lift me up, and make my day.

No pigtails wear I on my head.
The cap I sport must do instead.

To cover lack of hair up there.
The hat’s my fashionable wear.

I see the twinkle in your eye.
Far better it, than just a sigh.

So thank you much for reading this.
Now I can rest and feel some bliss.

About this poem

This poem honors the life and legacy of French-German poet, naturalist, linguist, botanist, and romantic writer, Adelbert von Chamisso (1781-1838). Famous for his pioneer work in Botanical Orthography, reflected in his poetic compositions, Chamisso is also well remembered for his playful, delightfully enchanting pigtail poem entitled simply, in English, “The Pigtail.” The opening stanza of the poem reads as follows: “There lived a sage in days of yore, And he a handsome pigtail wore; But wondered much, and sorrowed more, Because it hung behind him.  

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on November 18, 2021

Submitted by karlcfolkes on November 15, 2021

Modified by karlcfolkes on November 01, 2022

59 sec read
355

Quick analysis:

Scheme AA BB CC DD BB EE FF GG HH FF II JJ
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 795
Words 197
Stanzas 12
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s ‘Liebe Mili’ (translated into English as “Dear Mili”), Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

All Karl Constantine FOLKES poems | Karl Constantine FOLKES Books

74 fans

Discuss the poem IF I BE HUMBLE AND SO MEEK (Honoring a Poet Sage) with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "IF I BE HUMBLE AND SO MEEK (Honoring a Poet Sage)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114047/if-i-be-humble-and-so-meek-(honoring-a-poet-sage)>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    5
    hours
    7
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem consisting of 14 lines, typically with a specific rhyme scheme, is called a _______.
    A haiku
    B sonnet
    C epic
    D limerick