The Lesson of Grief

George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)



Not ere the bitter herb we taste,
Which ages thought of happy times,
To plant us in a weeping waste,
Rings with our fellows this one heart
Accordant chimes.

When I had shed my glad year's leaf,
I did believe I stood alone,
Till that great company of Grief
Taught me to know this craving heart
For not my own.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

18 sec read
87

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABACB DEDCE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 307
Words 62
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 5, 5

George Meredith

George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. more…

All George Meredith poems | George Meredith Books

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