They say that shadows of deceased ghosts

Joshua Sylvester 1563 (England) – 1618



They say that shadows of deceased ghosts
Do haunt the houses and the graves about,
Of such whose life's lamp went untimely out,
Delighting still in their forsaken hosts:
So, in the place where cruel Love doth shoot
The fatal shaft that slew my love's delight,
I stalk, and walk, and wander day and night,
Even like a ghost with unperceived foot.
But those light ghosts are happier far than I,
For, at their pleasure, they can come and go
Unto the place that hides their treasure so,
And see the name with their fantastic eye:
Where I, alas, dare not approach the cruel
Proud moment that doth enclose my jewel.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

34 sec read
44

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDEFGGFHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 617
Words 113
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Joshua Sylvester

Joshua Sylvester was an English poet. more…

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