The Double Fortress

Alfred Noyes 1880 (Wolverhampton) – 1958 (Isle of Wight)



Time, wouldst thou hurt us? Never shall we grow old.
Break as thou wilt these bodies of blind clay,
Thou canst not touch us here, in our stronghold,
Where two, made one, laugh all thy powers away.

Though ramparts crumble and rusty gates grow thin,
And our brave fortress dwine to a hollow shell,
Thou shalt hear heavenly laughter, far within,
Where, young as Love, two hidden lovers dwell.

We shall go clambering up our twisted stairs
To watch the moon through rifts in our grey towers.
Thou shalt hear whispers, kisses, and sweet prayers
Creeping through all our creviced walls like flowers.

Wouldst wreck us, Time? When thy dull leaguer brings
The last wall down, look heavenward. We have wings.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
64

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 705
Words 123
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 2

Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes was an English poet best known for his ballads The Highwayman 1906 and The Barrel Organ more…

All Alfred Noyes poems | Alfred Noyes Books

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