Vanity
Vanity ! guiding power, 'tis thine to rule
Statesman and vestryman—the knave or fool.
The Macedonian crossed Hydaspes' wave,
Fierce as the storm, and gloomy as the grave.
Urged by the thought, what would Athenians say,
When next they gathered on a market-day ?
And the same spirit that induced his toil,
Leads on the cook, to stew, and roast, and boil :
Whether the spice be mixed—the flag unfurled—
Each deems their task the glory of the world.
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Submitted by Madeleine Quinn on June 10, 2016
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 22 sec read
- 396 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 442 |
Words | 76 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 10 |
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"Vanity" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/44840/vanity>.
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