Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, OCTAVES: 20, by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

OCTAVES: 20, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: The prophet of dead words defeats himself
Last Line: Good fortitude, clean wisdom, and strong skill.


The prophet of dead words defeats himself:
Whoever would acknowledge and include
The foregleam and the glory of the real,
Must work with something else than pen and ink
And painful preparation: he must work
With unseen implements that have no names,
And he must win withal, to do that work,
Good fortitude, clean wisdom, and strong skill.






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