Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, AFTER A FRUITLESS ARGUMENT, by FREDERIC ROWLAND MARVIN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

AFTER A FRUITLESS ARGUMENT, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Why of the truth could I persuade you not?
Last Line: And in a kindly life our hearts may meet.
Subject(s): Repentance; Truth; Penitence


WHY of the truth could I persuade you not?
Because you surely held yourself to be
Appointed of high Heaven my soul to save,
And from the Wrath Divine to set me free.

So hard you wrought my blinded eyes to ope,
You had no vision for my truth; and lo!
In vain we strove with loveless words,
A dull and empty creed to overthrow.

At length we only fought, nor either cared
To take the gift that each had power to give;
We could not see how worthless is the faith
That cries, "Believe!" and never whispers "Live!"

If I have sinned, my brother, hear this word
Of penitent regret and kindly trust:
Let there be peace between us while we live,—
The same blue heavens shall bend above our dust.
With equal vision we may never see,
Nor yet the same cold form of words repeat;
But we, where words and vision fail, may trust,
And in a kindly life our hearts may meet.





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