To Lovers

Ellis Parker Butler 1869 (Muscatine) – 1937 (Williamsville)



Ho, ye lovers, list to me;
Warning words have I for thee:
Give ye heed, hefore ye wed,
To this thing Sir Chaucer said:

"Love wol not be constrained by maistrie,
When maistrie cometh, the god of love anon
Beteth his winges, and farewel, he is gon."

Other poets knew as well,
And the same sad story tell,
Hark ye, heed ye, while ye may,
What the worldly Pope doth say:

"Love, free as air, at sight of human ties
Spreads his light wings and in a moment flies."

This, Sir Hudibras, brave knight,
Faithful lover, constant wight,
From his lady's lips did hear;
Mark ye, eke, the warning clear:

"Love is too generous t'abide
To be against its nature ty'd,
For where 'tis of itself inclin'd,
It breaks loose when it is confin'd."

Ho, ye lovers, shall I tell
How through life with Love to dwell,
Spite of all the poets say?
Harken to the easy way:--

Strive to bind him not, but see
That the little god binds thee.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

53 sec read
56

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CDD EEFF GG HHCC XBII EEFF AA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 912
Words 177
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 3, 4, 2, 4, 4, 4, 2

Ellis Parker Butler

Ellis Parker Butler was an American author. more…

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