The Old Fool In The Wood

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



'If I could whisper you all I know,'
Said the Old Fool in the Wood,
'You'd never say that green leaves grow.
You'd say, 'Ah, what a happy mood
The Master must be in today,
To think such thoughts,'
That's what you'd say.'

'If I could whisper you all I've heard,'
Said the Old Fool in the fern,
'You'd never say the song of a bird.
You'd say, 'I'll listen, and p'raps I'll learn
One word of His joy as He passed this way,
One syllable more,'
That's what you'd say.'

'If I could tell you all the rest,'
Said the Old Fool under the skies,
'You'd hug your griefs against your breast
And whisper with love-lit eyes,
'I am one with the sorrow that made the may,
And the pulse of His heart,'
That's what you'd say.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 09, 2023

46 sec read
52

Quick analysis:

Scheme axaxbxB cdcdbxB efefbxB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 695
Words 149
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7

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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    Who wrote the poem ״Invictus״?
    A William Ernest Henley
    B Thomas Hardy
    C Oscar Wilde
    D Sylvia Plath