T.A.H.
Yes, he was that, or that, as you prefer--Did so and so, though, faith, it wasn't all;Lived like a fool, or a philosopher.And had whatever's needful for a fall.As rough inflections on a planet mergeIn the true bend of the gigantic sphere,Nor mar the perfect circle of its verge,So in the survey of his worth the smallAsperities of spirit disappear,Lost in the grander curves of character.He lately was hit hard: none knew but IThe strength and terror of that ghastly stroke--Not even herself. He uttered not a cry,But set his teeth and made a revelry;Drank like a devil--staining sometimes redThe goblet's edge; diced with his conscience; spread,Like Sisyphus, a feast for Death, and spokeHis welcome in a tongue so long forgotThat even his ancient guest remembered notWhat race had cursed him in it. Thus my friendStill conjugating with each failing senseThe verb "to die" in every mood and tense,Pursued his awful humor to the end.When like a stormy dawn the crimson brokeFrom his white lips he smiled and mutely bled,And, having meanly lived, is grandly dead.
Words in this poem
- needful a.
- Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing.
- merge v. t.
- To cause to be swallowed up; to immerse; to sink; to absorb. [L. mergere, mersum. Cf. Emerge, Immerse, Marrow.]
- drank n.
- Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [Cf. 3d Drake.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- mutely adv.
- Without uttering words or sounds; in a mute manner; silently.
- grandly adv.
- In a grand manner.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
T.A.H. is in the public domain. This text is taken from Shapes of Clay (1903), Project Gutenberg ebook #12658; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Ambrose Bierce, T.A.H., in Shapes of Clay (1903), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12658, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bierce-shapes-of-clay/t-a-h.html, id L27994.
Form and metre
T.A.H. is 26 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-ABCBAC-DED-FFEGGHIIHEFF prefer · allA · philosopher · fallA · mergeB · sphereC · vergeB · smallA · disappearC · character · iD · strokeE · cryD · revelry · redF · spreadF · spokeE · forgotG · notG · friendH · senseI · tenseI · endH · brokeE · bledF · deadF
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, he was that, or that, as you prefer-- | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Did so and so, though, faith, it wasn't all; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Lived like a fool, or a philosopher. | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| And had whatever's needful for a fall. | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| As rough inflections on a planet merge | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| In the true bend of the gigantic sphere, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Nor mar the perfect circle of its verge, | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| So in the survey of his worth the small | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| Asperities of spirit disappear, | 10 | ˘/˘˘·/˘·˘/ |
| Lost in the grander curves of character. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| He lately was hit hard: none knew but I | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The strength and terror of that ghastly stroke-- | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Not even herself. He uttered not a cry, | 10 | ·/˘/·/˘··· |
| But set his teeth and made a revelry; | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Drank like a devil--staining sometimes red | 10 | ···/˘/˘/·· |
| The goblet's edge; diced with his conscience; spread, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Like Sisyphus, a feast for Death, and spoke | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| His welcome in a tongue so long forgot | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| That even his ancient guest remembered not | 10 | ·/·/˘·˘/˘· |
| What race had cursed him in it. Thus my friend | 10 | ·········· |
| Still conjugating with each failing sense | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| The verb "to die" in every mood and tense, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Pursued his awful humor to the end. | 10 | ˘/·/˘/˘··· |
| When like a stormy dawn the crimson broke | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| From his white lips he smiled and mutely bled, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And, having meanly lived, is grandly dead. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.