Agnostic
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
The chapel looms against the sky,
Above the vine-clad shelves,
And as the peasants pass it by
They cross themselves.
But I alone, I grieve to state,
Lack sentiment divine:
A citified sophisticate,
I make no sign.
Their gesture may a habit be,
Mechanic in a sense,
Yet somehow it awakes in me
Strange reverence.
And though from ignorance it stem,
Somehow I deeply grieve,
And wish down in my heart like them
I could believe.
Suppose a cottage I should buy,
And little patch of vine,
With pure and humble spirit I
Might make the Sign.
Aye, though I godless way I go,
And sceptic in my trend,
A faith in something I don't know
Might save me in the end.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 46 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EXEXFGFG ADADHIHI |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 725 |
Words | 124 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"Agnostic" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/31972/agnostic>.
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