Had I Wist
Algernon Charles Swinburne 1837 (London) – 1909 (London)
Had I wist, when life was like a warm wind playing
Light and loud through sundawn and the dew's bright trust,
How the time should come for hearts to sigh in saying
'Had I wist' -
Surely not the roses, laughing as they kissed,
Not the lovelier laugh of seas in sunshine swaying,
Should have lured my soul to look thereon and list.
Now the wind is like a soul cast out and praying
Vainly, prayers that pierce not ears when hearts resist:
Now mine own soul sighs, adrift as wind and straying,
'Had I wist.'
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 29 sec read
- 224 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | axaB bab abaB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 505 |
Words | 99 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 3, 4 |
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"Had I Wist" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1325/had-i-wist>.
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