Ballade of Dead Actors
William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)
Where are the passions they essayed,
And where the tears they made to flow?
Where the wild humours they portrayed
For laughing worlds to see and know?
Othello's wrath and Juliet's woe?
Sir Peter's whims and Timon's gall?
And Millamant and Romeo?
Into the night go one and all.
Where are the braveries, fresh or frayed?
The plumes, the armours -- friend and foe?
The cloth of gold, the rare brocade,
The mantles glittering to and fro?
The pomp, the pride, the royal show?
The cries of war and festival?
The youth, the grace, the charm, the glow?
Into the night go one and all.
The curtain falls, the play is played:
The Beggar packs beside the Beau;
The Monarch troops, and troops the Maid;
The Thunder huddles with the Snow.
Where are the revellers high and low?
The clashing swords? The lover's call?
The dancers gleaming row on row?
Into the night go one and all.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 82 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababbcbCababbdbCababbcbC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 859 |
Words | 159 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
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"Ballade of Dead Actors" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40445/ballade-of-dead-actors>.
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