Arthur Christopher Benson (1862-1925)
"I am Small and of no Reputation; Yet do I not Forget thy Commandments"
1How small a thing am I, of no repute,
2 Whirled in the rush of these eternal tides;
3 Spun daily round upon this orb that rides
4Among its peers, itself how most minute!
5Yet as I muse in sad comparison,
6 Restless and frail, I thrill with sudden awe,
7 Clasped in the large embrace of life and law
8That, howsoe'er I falter, bear me on.
9 So should a drop within the sluggish vein
10 Of some vast saurian, (that slumbers deep
11In seas undreamed of, rolling through the swell)
12 In labyrinthine artery swim and creep,
13 Yet hear far off, again and yet again,
14The vasty heart beat in his central cell.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Arthur Christopher Benson,
Lyrics (London: John Lane, 1895): 161. PR 4099 B5L8 Robarts Library.
Entitled "The Heart of God" in Selected Poems (London:
John Lane the Bodley Head, 1924): 32. PR 4099 B5S4 Robarts Library
First publication date:
1895
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 2001
Recent editing: 1:2002/10/5
Form: sonnet
Rhyme: abbacddcefgfeg
Other poems by Arthur Christopher Benson
