By a dismal cypress lying: A Song from the Italian

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



By a dismal cypress lying,
   Damon cried, all pale and dying,
   Kind is death that ends my pain,
   But cruel she I lov'd in vain.
   The mossy fountains
   Murmur my trouble,
   And hollow mountains
   My groans redouble:
   Ev'ry nymph mourns me,
  Thus while I languish;
  She only scorns me,
  Who caus'd my anguish.
  No love returning me, but all hope denying;
  By a dismal cypress lying,
  Like a swan, so sung he dying:
  Kind is death that ends my pain,
  But cruel she I lov'd in vain.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 05, 2023

27 sec read
84

Quick analysis:

Scheme AaBBcdcdefefaAaBB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 491
Words 89
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 17

John Dryden

John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made Poet Laureate in 1668. more…

All John Dryden poems | John Dryden Books

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