Thirst
Claude McKay 1889 (Clarendon Parish) – 1948 (Chicago)
My spirit wails for water, water now!
My tongue is aching dry, my throat is hot
For water, fresh rain shaken from a bough,
Or dawn dews heavy in some leafy spot.
My hungry body's burning for a swim
In sunlit water where the air is cool,
As in Trout Valley where upon a limb
The golden finch sings sweetly to the pool.
Oh water, water, when the night is done,
When day steals gray-white through the windowpane,
Clear silver water when I wake, alone,
All impotent of parts, of fevered brain;
Pure water from a forest fountain first,
To wash me, cleanse me, and to quench my thirst!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 22, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 88 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCDEFGFHH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 587 |
Words | 111 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Thirst" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/6904/thirst>.
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