My Dear and Only Love

James Graham 1612 (Edinburgh) – 1650 (Edinburgh)



My dear and only Love, I pray
      This noble world of thee
    Be govern'd by no other sway
      But purest monarchy;
    For if confusion have a part,
      Which virtuous souls abhor,
    And hold a synod in thy heart,
      I'll never love thee more.

    Like Alexander I will reign,
    And I will reign alone,
  My thoughts shall evermore disdain
    A rival on my throne.
  He either fears his fate too much,
    Or his deserts are small,
  That puts it not unto the touch
    To win or lose it all.

    But I must rule and govern still,
    And always give the law,
  And have each subject at my will,
    And all to stand in awe.
  But 'gainst my battery, if I find
    Thou shunn'st the prize so sore
  As that thou sett'st me up a blind,
    I'll never love thee more.

    Or in the empire of thy heart,
    Where I should solely be,
  Another do pretend a part
    And dares to vie with me;
  Or if committees thou erect,
    And go on such a score,
  I'll sing and laugh at thy neglect,
    And never love thee more.

    But if thou wilt be constant then,
    And faithful of thy word,
  I'll make thee glorious by my pen
    And famous by my sword:
  I'll serve thee in such noble ways
    Was never heard before;
  I'll crown and deck thee all with bays,
    And love thee evermore.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

1:12 min read
206

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababcdcD efefghgh ixixjdjD cbcbkdkd lxlxmdmd
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,268
Words 234
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

James Graham

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, lord lieutenant and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland. Montrose initially joined the Covenanters in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but subsequently supported King Charles I as the English Civil War developed. From 1644 to 1646, and again in 1650, he fought in the civil war in Scotland on behalf of the King. He is referred to as the Great Montrose. more…

All James Graham poems | James Graham Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem My Dear and Only Love with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "My Dear and Only Love" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20096/my-dear-and-only-love>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    22
    hours
    26
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who is considered to be the greatest poet of Russia’s golden age?
    A Leo Tolstoy
    B Charles Baudelaire
    C Vladimir Mayakovsky
    D Alexander Pushkin