What Our Dead Do Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABC DEF FGHI BFJA FK LMLFN OPL BQ FKR ASBT CAUVFLAW XYZFA2B2C2D2 E2F2G2| Jan came this morning | A |
| I dreamt of my father | B |
| he says | C |
| - | |
| he was riding in an oak coffin | D |
| I walked next to the hearse | E |
| and father turned to me | F |
| - | |
| you dressed me nicely | F |
| and the funeral is very beautiful | G |
| at this time of year so many flowers | H |
| it must have cost a lot | I |
| - | |
| don t worry about it father | B |
| I say let people see | F |
| we loved you | J |
| that we spared nothing | A |
| - | |
| six men in black livery | F |
| walk nicely at our sides | K |
| - | |
| father thought for a while | L |
| and said the key to the desk | M |
| is in the silver inkwell | L |
| there is still some money | F |
| in the second drawer on the left | N |
| - | |
| with this money I say | O |
| we will buy you a gravestone | P |
| a large one of black marble | L |
| - | |
| it isn t necessary says father | B |
| better give it to the poor | Q |
| - | |
| six men in black livery | F |
| walk nicely at our sides | K |
| they carry burning lanterns | R |
| - | |
| again he seemed to be thinking | A |
| take care of the flowers in the garden | S |
| cover them for the winter | B |
| I don t want them to be wasted | T |
| - | |
| you are the oldest he says | C |
| from a little felt bag behind the painting | A |
| take out the cuff links with real pearls | U |
| let them bring you luck | V |
| my mother gave them to me | F |
| when I finished high school | L |
| then he didn t say anything | A |
| he must have entered a deeper sleep | W |
| - | |
| this is how our dead | X |
| look after us | Y |
| they warn us through dreams | Z |
| bring back lost money | F |
| hunt for jobs | A2 |
| whisper the numbers of lottery tickets | B2 |
| or when they can t do this | C2 |
| knock with their fingers on the windows | D2 |
| - | |
| and out of gratitude | E2 |
| we imagine immortality for them | F2 |
| snug as the burrow of a mouse | G2 |
Zbigniew Herbert
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about What Our Dead Do poem by Zbigniew Herbert
Best Poems of Zbigniew Herbert