The Fair Stranger. A Song

John Dryden 1631 (Aldwincle) – 1631 (London)



Happy and free, securely blest,
No beauty could disturb my rest;
My amorous heart was in despair
To find a new victorious fair:
Till you, descending on our plains,
With foreign force renew my chains;
Where now you rule without control,
The mighty sovereign of my soul.
Your smiles have more of conquering charms,
Than all your native country's arms;
Their troops we can expel with ease,
Who vanquish only when we please.
But in your eyes, O! there's the spell!
Who can see them, and not rebel?
You make us captives by your stay;
Yet kill us if you go away.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

31 sec read
72

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGHII
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 564
Words 104
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

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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