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 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | aBaabAB cBccbAB dBddbAB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 573 |
Words | 104 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7 |
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"River Lilies" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21763/river-lilies>.
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