Sonnet IV
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
Thou hast thy calling to some palace-floor,
Most gracious singer of high poems ! where
The dancers will break footing, from the care
Of watching up thy pregnant lips for more.
And dost thou lift this house's latch too poor
For hand of thine ? and canst thou think and bear
To let thy music drop here unaware
In folds of golden fulness at my door ?
Look up and see the casement broken in,
The bats and owlets builders in the roof !
My cricket chirps against thy mandolin.
Hush, call no echo up in further proof
Of desolation ! there 's a voice within
That weeps . . . as thou must sing . . . alone, aloof
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 99 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBACBBADEDEDE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 598 |
Words | 111 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Sonnet IV" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10300/sonnet-iv>.
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