River Lilies

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)



Saw a boy three lilies white,
Lilies in the river,
Half heart-open to the light,
Full of golden arrows bright,
Each a silver quiver.
Lilies, lilies, lilies white,
Lilies in the river.

Said the boy, “I’ll pluck you there,
Lilies in the river!”
Said the lilies, “If you dare
You shall drown, or homeward fare
Dripping and a-shiver!”
Lilies, lilies, lilies white,
Lilies in the river.

Wilful still the boy would clasp
Lilies in the river;
Tumbled in ere he could grasp,
Scrambled out with puff and gasp,
Plucked no lilies ever.
Lilies, lilies, lilies white,
Lilies in the river.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
80

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBaabAB cBccbAB dBddbAB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 573
Words 104
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and politician. more…

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