Ballade of my Lady's Beauty

Joyce Kilmer 1886 (New Brunswick) – 1918 (Seringes-et-Nesles)



Squire Adam had two wives, they say,
   Two wives had he, for his delight,
He kissed and clypt them all the day
   And clypt and kissed them all the night.
   Now Eve like ocean foam was white
And Lilith roses dipped in wine,
   But though they were a goodly sight
No lady is so fair as mine.

To Venus some folk tribute pay
   And Queen of Beauty she is hight,
And Sainte Marie the world doth sway
   In cerule napery bedight.
   My wonderment these twain invite,
Their comeliness it is divine,
   And yet I say in their despite,
No lady is so fair as mine.

Dame Helen caused a grievous fray,
   For love of her brave men did fight,
The eyes of her made sages fey
   And put their hearts in woeful plight.
   To her no rhymes will I indite,
For her no garlands will I twine,
   Though she be made of flowers and light
No lady is so fair as mine.

L'Envoi

Prince Eros, Lord of lovely might,
   Who on Olympus dost recline,
Do I not tell the truth aright?
   No lady is so fair as mine.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
90

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 991
Words 190
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 4

Joyce Kilmer

Joyce Kilmer was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees", which was published in the collection Trees and Other Poems in 1914. more…

All Joyce Kilmer poems | Joyce Kilmer Books

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