Comparisons



CHILD, when they say that others
      Have been or are like you,
Babes fit to be your brothers,
      Sweet human drops of dew,
Bright fruit of mortal mothers,
      What should one say or do?

We know the thought is treason,
      We feel the dream absurd;
A claim rebuked of reason,
      That withers at a word:
For never shone the season
      That bore so blithe a bird.

Some smiles may seem as merry,
      Some glances gleam as wise,
From lips as like a cherry
      And scarce less gracious eyes;
Eyes browner than a berry,
      Lips red as morning's rise.

But never yet rang laughter
      So sweet in gladdened ears
Through wall and floor and rafter
      As all this household hears
And rings response thereafter
      Till cloudiest weather clears.

When those your chosen of all men,
      Whose honey never cloys,
Two lights whose smiles enthrall men,
      Were called at your age boys,
Those mighty men, while small men,
      Could make no merrier noise.

Our Shakespeare, surely, daffed not
      More lightly pain aside
From radiant lips that quaffed not
      Of forethought's tragic tide:
Our Dickens, doubtless, laughed not
      More loud with life's first pride.

The dawn were not more cheerless
      With neither light nor dew
Than we without the fearless
      Clear laugh that thrills us through:
If ever child stood peerless,
      Love knows that child is you.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:08 min read
114

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABAB CDCDCD EFEFEF GHGXGH IAIJIJ KLKLKL ABXBXB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,356
Words 226
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Algernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as Poems and Ballads, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Swinburne wrote about many taboo topics, such as lesbianism, cannibalism, sado-masochism, and anti-theism. His poems have many common motifs, such as the ocean, time, and death. Several historical people are featured in his poems, such as Sappho ("Sapphics"), Anactoria ("Anactoria"), Jesus ("Hymn to Proserpine": Galilaee, La. "Galilean") and Catullus ("To Catullus"). more…

All Algernon Charles Swinburne poems | Algernon Charles Swinburne Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Comparisons with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Comparisons" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1297/comparisons>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    19
    hours
    36
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "The Road Not Taken"?
    A Robert Frost
    B Langston Hughes
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Walt Whitman