Though I Thy Mithridates Were

James Joyce 1882 (Rathgar) – 1941 (Zürich)



Though I thy Mithridates were,
Framed to defy the poison-dart,
Yet must thou fold me unaware
To know the rapture of thy heart,
And I but render and confess
The malice of thy tenderness.

For elegant and antique phrase,
Dearest, my lips wax all too wise;
Nor have I known a love whose praise
Our piping poets solemnize,
Neither a love where may not be
Ever so little falsity.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

21 sec read
355

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXABX CXCBDD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 381
Words 71
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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