The Flower



Once in a golden hour
    I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
    The people said, a weed.

To and fro they went
    Thro' my garden bower,
And muttering discontent
    Cursed me and my flower.

Then it grew so tall
    It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
    Stole the seed by night.

Sow'd it far and wide
    By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried,
    "Splendid is the flower!"

Read my little fable:
    He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
    For all have got the seed.

And some are pretty enough,
    And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
    Call it but a weed.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

37 sec read
1,199

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CACA DEDE FAFA GXXB XBGB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 627
Words 123
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets.  more…

All Alfred Lord Tennyson poems | Alfred Lord Tennyson Books

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