With A Volume Of Verse.

By Henry Austin Dobson

Narrative Poem
    About the ending of the Ramadán,     When leanest grows the famished Mussulman,     A haggard ne'er-do-well, Mahmoud by name,     At the tenth hour to Caliph OMAR came.     "Lord of the Faithful (quoth he), at the last     The long moon waneth, and men cease to fast;     Hard then, O hard! the lot of him must be,     Who spares to eat ... but not for piety!"     "Hast thou no calling, Friend?"--the Caliph said.     "Sir, I make verses for my daily bread."     "Verse!"--answered OMAR. "'Tis a dish, indeed,     Whereof but scantily a man may feed.     Go. Learn the Tenter's or the Potter's Art,--     Verse is a drug not sold in any mart."     I know not if that hungry Mahmoud died;     But this I know--he must have versified,     For, with his race, from better still to worse,     The plague of writing follows like a curse;     And men will scribble though they fail to dine,     Which is the Moral of more Books than mine.

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
The poem critiques the futility of artistic pursuit in a world that prioritizes material survival, framing Mahmoud's plight as a stark allegory. Structured as a single stanza of twenty lines, it employs a loose iambic meter with occasional slant rhymes, mirroring the irregularity of Mahmoud's life. The voice shifts from the mock-heroic to the didactic, as the Caliph's pragmatic dismissal of poetry underscores its worthlessness in practical terms. The final lines pivot to a broader moral, suggesting that the compulsion to write persists despite starvation, a plague inherent to creative people. The poem's sparse, declarative tone reinforces its cynicism, culminating in a bitter observation: art's true curse is not its poverty but its inescapability.

Exploring Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well. Unlike lyric poetry, which focuses on emotions and thoughts, narrative poetry is dedicated to storytelling, weaving tales that captivate readers through plot and character development.

Narrative poems are unique in their ability to combine the depth of storytelling with the expressive qualities of poetry. Here are some defining characteristics:

  • Structured Plot: Narrative poems typically have a clear beginning, middle, and end, following a plot that might involve conflict, climax, and resolution, much like a short story or novel.
  • Character Development: Characters in narrative poems are often well-developed, with distinct voices and personalities that drive the story forward.
  • Descriptive Language: The language used in narrative poetry is vivid and descriptive, painting a clear picture of the scenes and events, while also conveying the emotions and atmosphere of the story.

From ancient epics like "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" to more modern narrative poems, this form continues to engage readers by blending the art of storytelling with the beauty and rhythm of poetry.