Weep Not Too Much

Anne Brontë 1820 (Thornton, West Yorkshire) – 1849 (Scarborough, North Yorkshire)



Weep not too much, my darling;
            Sigh not too oft for me;
Say not the face of Nature
            Has lost its charm for thee.
I have enough of anguish
            In my own breast alone;
Thou canst not ease the burden, Love,
            By adding still thine own.
I know the faith and fervour
            Of that true heart of thine;
But I would have it hopeful
            As thou wouldst render mine.
At night, when I lie waking,
            More soothing it will be
To say 'She slumbers calmly now,'
            Than say 'She weeps for me.'

When through the prison grating
            The holy moonbeams shine,
And I am wildly longing
            To see the orb divine
Not crossed, deformed, and sullied
            By those relentless bars
That will not show the crescent moon,
            And scarce the twinkling stars,

It is my only comfort
            To think, that unto thee
The sight is not forbidden --
            The face of heaven is free.
If I could think Zerona
            Is gazing upward now --
Is gazing with a tearless eye
            A calm unruffled brow;

That moon upon her spirit
            Sheds sweet, celestial balm, --
The thought, like Angel's whisper,
            My misery would calm.
And when, at early morning,
            A faint flush comes to me,
Reflected from those glowing skies
            I almost weep to see;

Or when I catch the murmur
            Of gently swaying trees,
Or hear the louder swelling
            Of the soul-inspiring breeze,
And pant to feel its freshness
            Upon my burning brow,
Or sigh to see the twinkling leaf,
            And watch the waving bough;

If, from these fruitless yearnings
            Thou wouldst deliver me,
Say that the charms of Nature
            Are lovely still to thee;
While I am thus repining,
            O! let me but believe,
'These pleasures are not lost to her,'
            And I will cease to grieve.

O, scorn not Nature's bounties!
            My soul partakes with thee.
Drink bliss from all her fountains,
            Drink for thyself and me!
Say not, 'My soul is buried
            In dungeon gloom with thine;'
But say, 'His heart is here with me;
            His spirit drinks with mine.'

A.E.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:44 min read
113

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBXDXDCEXEABFB AEAEGHXH XBXBDFXF XICIABXB CJAJXFXF XBCBAKCK JBXBGEBE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 2,163
Words 352
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 16, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë was a British novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. more…

All Anne Brontë poems | Anne Brontë Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Weep Not Too Much 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

    "Weep Not Too Much" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3191/weep-not-too-much>.

    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.
    3
    days
    14
    hours
    39
    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 wrote the poem One Art?
    A Elizabeth Bishop
    B Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    C E. E. Cummings
    D Sylvia Plath