Silence
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
When I was cub reporter I
Would interview the Great,
And sometimes they would make reply,
And sometimes hesitate;
But often they would sharply say,
With bushy eyebrows bent:
"Young man, your answer for to-day
Is - No Comment."
Nigh sixty years have called the tune,
And silver is my pate;
No longer do I importune
Important men of state;
But time has made me wise, and so
When button-holed I shake
My head and say: "To-day, I've no
Comment to make."
Oh, silence is a mighty shield,
Verbosity is vain;
let others wordy warfare wield,
From arguments abstain;
When faced with dialectic foes
Just shrug and turn away:
Be sure your wisest words are those
You do not say.
Yea, Silence is a gleaming sword
Whose wounds are hard to heal;
Its quiet stuns the spoken word
More than a thunder peal;
Against it there is no defense,
For like the grave-yard sod
Its hush is Heaven's eloquence,
The VOICE OF GOD.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 50 sec read
- 75 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EBEBFGFG HIHIJCJC XKXKXLXL |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 906 |
Words | 167 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
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"Silence" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32437/silence>.
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