Lightly Come or Lightly Go

James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)



Lightly come or lightly go:
Though thy heart presage thee woe,
Vales and many a wasted sun,
Oread let thy laughter run,
Till the irreverent mountain air
Ripple all thy flying hair.

Lightly, lightly -- - ever so:
Clouds that wrap the vales below
At the hour of evenstar
Lowliest attendants are;
Love and laughter song-confessed
When the heart is heaviest.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 02, 2023

18 sec read
391

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCC AACXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 362
Words 63
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 6

James Joyce

ames Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century.  more…

All James Joyce poems | James Joyce Books

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