Love

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



Verse 1
Tell me where is fancy bred, {he}
Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourishèd? [nour-ish-ed]
Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes, {she}
With gazing fed;
and fancy dies, and fancy dies {together}
In the cradle where it lies.

Chorus
Let us all ring fancy’s knell; {he}
I’ll begin it, –ding, dong, bell.
Let us all ring fancy’s knell;
I’ll begin it, –ding, dong, bell.
Ding, dong, bell. {together}

(Harp /Strings Interlude)

Verse 2
Tell me where is fancy bred, {she}
Or in the heart or in the head?
How begot, how nourishèd?
Reply, reply.
It is engender’d in the eyes, {he}
With gazing fed; (fancy dies) {she}
and fancy dies, and fancy dies {together}
In the cradle where it lies.

Chorus 2
Let us all ring (let us all ring) {he & she alternating}
fancy’s knell; (ring fancy’s knell) I’ll begin it, –ding, dong, bell.
Let us all ring (let us all ring) fancy’s knell; (ring fancy’s knell)
I’ll begin it, –ding, dong, bell.
Ding, dong, bell.

Coda
Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong, bell.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified by acronimous on March 06, 2022

1:00 min read
803

Quick analysis:

Scheme abCcDbcEF gbHhHe x abCbDbbEF gxhhHh xh
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,050
Words 203
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 9, 6, 1, 9, 6, 2

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

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1 Comment
  • DrBenDover
    Add BAck T he EdIT ButT0N
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"Love" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41382/love>.

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