Silently She's Combing

James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)



Silently she's combing,
Combing her long hair
Silently and graciously,
With many a pretty air.

The sun is in the willow leaves
And on the dappled grass,
And still she's combing her long hair
Before the looking-glass.

I pray you, cease to comb out,
Comb out your long hair,
For I have heard of witchery
Under a pretty air,

That makes as one thing to the lover
Staying and going hence,
All fair, with many a pretty air
And many a negligence.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

25 sec read
460

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBAB XAAA XXAX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 447
Words 84
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

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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