Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A RHYME OUT OF MOTLEY by AMY LOWELL

Poet Analysis

First Line: I GRASPED A THREAD OF SILVER; IT CUT ME TO THE BONE
Last Line: And leave him there
Subject(s): AMBITION;
I grasped a thread of silver; it cut me to the bone -
I reached for an apple; it was bleak as a stone -
I reached for a heart, and touched a raw blade -
And this was the bargain God had made
For a little gift of speech
Set a cubit higher than the common reach,
A debt running on until the fool is dead. "

Carve a Pater Noster to put at his head
As a curse or a prayer,
And leave him there.



Home: PoetryExplorer.net