To His Lady
Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)
(Who asked a Song in Spring)
WHY do you bid your poet sing,
Who has no mind to song--
Who only wants to see the Spring,
Long sought and tarrying long?
The shivering, dreary winter through
My song enshrined my vow;
If then my songs were sweet to you,
Let me be silent now!
Have I not duly sung, my dear,
Your goodness and your grace?
Now that your rival, Spring, is here,
O let me see her face!
The hedge is white with buds of May,
The fields are green with Spring,
Oh, give your bard a holiday:
He does not want to sing!
He wants to listen; all alone,
He wants to steal away
To hear the ring-doves' tender tone,
And what the thrushes say.
He wants to hear what can't be heard
When you and love are near--
The sweet Spring's soft and secret word;
Oh, let him go, my dear!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 74 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | A ABABCDCD EFXFGAGA HGHGIEIE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 777 |
Words | 156 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8 |
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"To His Lady" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/9034/to-his-lady>.
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