Before Dawn

Amy Lowell

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Life! Austere arbiter of each man's fate,
By whom he learns that Nature's steadfast laws
Are as decrees immutable; O pause
Your even forward march! Not yet too late
Teach me the needed lesson, when to wait
Inactive as a ship when no wind draws
To stretch the loosened cordage. One implores
Thy clemency, whose wilfulness innate
Has gone uncurbed and roughshod while the years
Have lengthened into decades; now distressed
He knows no rule by which to move or stay,
And teased with restlessness and desperate fears
He dares not watch in silence thy wise way
Bringing about results none could have guessed.

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Comments1
  • kelseytallis

    Reading this again brings me back to my school days. Can't say that I was a fan then and my perspective hasn't really changed. It's hard to grasp and doesn't really roll off the tongue very easily. To me, it lacks the rhythm and emotion that I enjoy in poetry. It's not terrible, just not my cup of tea. Maybe it's better appreciated by those more versed in this style.