The 99 Poem Challenge
Fox-Trot-9
96. Sapphic Stanza — Fame's a Woman
Fame's a woman beckoning me with whispers,
Leading me astray on the brink of ruin,
Only giving me a small taste of triumph—
Only to leave me
Hanging on the precipice, waiting for her
Like a lover waiting a thousand years to
Kiss her lips of wine, a desire that urges,
Flatters and kills me!
She's a minx so beautiful that she lures me
Ever on to immanent pains and perils,
Where my sin of vanity's cured upon the
Flames of the furnace.
Since I'm cursed to follow her wayward steps to
Countless torments, I will be there to write her
Countless poems, so she'll remember me and
Turn and look my way.
Slave am I to all of her wayward whims of
Chance and broken dreams. I will take the little
Scraps that circumstance has a mind to parcel
Out in her kindness.
Fame's a worthy woman to fight for, even
When the only foe that I'll fight are years of
Waiting for her, waiting throughout the eons,
Waiting for Fame to
Grace my humble name on the lips of other
Men in jealousy! Yet I know that ere my
Quest to quench my vanity's slaked and done for,
Death shall come for me.
Maybe when I breath my last breath of living
Pain and jealousy, when I quaff the cup of
My regrets and touch the smooth edge upon my
Lips for the last time,
Then and only then shall I feel her luscious
Lips to grace my own in the consummation
Of my toils on earth! Now my name's secure on
Lips that shall speak it,
For in death shall I then become a famous
Man, with poems filled with the genius on each
Page of poetry, for my love to ponder
When I am buried.
(To be continued...)
A/N: The Sapphic stanza, named after Sappho, is an Ancient Greek verse form spanning four lines (more properly three, in the poetry of Sappho, where there is no word-end before the final Adonean line). The form is two hendecasyllabic verses, and a third verse beginning the same way and continuing with five additional syllables (given as the stanza's fourth verse in ancient and modern editions, and known as the Adonic or Adonean line).
For a better illustration, here's the diagram of the Sapphic Stanza, showing the syllabic pattern in English stresses, rather than the Greek/Latin quantitative pattern shown in other websites:
Line 1: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 2: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 3: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 4: Dumdada-Dumda
Line 1: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 2: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 3: Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda
Line 4: Dumdada-Dumda...
Meter: Classical Hendecasyllable
(Trochee / trochee / dactyl / trochee / trochee)
(Dumda-Dumda-Dumdada-Dumda-Dumda)
Meter: Adonic Meter
(Dactyl / trochee)
(Dumdada-Dumda)
Rhyme: None
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The 99 Poem Challenge (Fox-Trot-9) ✓
PoetryGenre: Poetry. Summary/Credits: This poem collection is for Warrior_Prophet's 99 Poem Challenge. Special thanks to cristinaaragon for making the book cover. All poems in this collection comprise of different poetry styles. Hope you enjoy! ( ^_^ ) St...
