A Fragment



They say that poison-sprinkled flowers
Are sweeter in perfume
Than when, untouched by deadly dew,
They glowed in early bloom.

They say that men condemned to die
Have quaffed the sweetened wine
With higher relish than the juice
Of the untampered vine.

They say that in the witch's song,
Though rude and harsh it be,
There blends a wild, mysterious strain
Of weirdest melody.

And I believe the devil's voice
Sinks deeper in our ear
Than any whisper sent from Heaven,
However sweet and clear.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

26 sec read
43

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB XCXC XXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 482
Words 87
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Adam Lindsay Gordon

Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician. more…

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