Ghosts of a Lunatic Asylum



Here, where men's eyes were empty and as bright
As the blank windows set in glaring brick,
When the wind strengthens from the sea -- and night
Drops like a fog and makes the breath come thick;

By the deserted paths, the vacant halls,
One may see figures, twisted shades and lean,
Like the mad shapes that crawl an Indian screen,
Or paunchy smears you find on prison walls.

Turn the knob gently! There's the Thumbless Man,
Still weaving glass and silk into a dream,
Although the wall shows through him -- and the Khan
Journeys Cathay beside a paper stream.

A Rabbit Woman chitters by the door --
-- Chilly the grave-smell comes from the turned sod --
Come -- lift the curtain -- and be cold before
The silence of the eight men who were God!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDDC XEXE FGFG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 747
Words 140
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Stephen Vincent Benet

Stephen Vincent Benét was an American author, poet, short story writer, and novelist. more…

All Stephen Vincent Benet poems | Stephen Vincent Benet Books

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    "Ghosts of a Lunatic Asylum" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/35795/ghosts-of-a-lunatic-asylum>.

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