I Told You



I told you the winter would go, love,
 I told you the winter would go,
That he'd flee in shame when the south wind came,
 And you smiled when I told you so.
You said the blustering fellow
 Would never yield to a breeze,
That his cold, icy breath had frozen to death
 The flowers, the birds, and trees.

And I told you the snow would melt, love,
 In the passionate glance o' the sun;
And the leaves o' the trees, and the flowers and bees,
 Would come back again, one by one.
That the great, gray clouds would vanish,
 And the sky turn tender and blue;
And the sweet birds would sing, and talk of the spring
 And, love, it has all come true.

I told you that sorrow would fade, love,
 And you would forget half your pain;
That the sweet bird of song would waken ere long,
 And sing in your bosom again;
That hope would creep out of the shadows,
 And back to its nest in your heart,
And gladness would come, and find its old home,
 And that sorrow at length would depart.

I told you that grief seldom killed, love,
 Though the heart might seem dead for awhile.
But the world is so bright, and full of warm light
 That 'twould waken at length, in its smile.
Ah, love! was I not a true prophet?
 There's a sweet happy smile on your face;
Your sadness has flown - the snow-drift is gone,
 And the buttercups bloom in its place.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:17 min read
127

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXBBCXC ADCDXEXE AXXXXFXF AGXGXHXH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,316
Words 257
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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