Sonnet LXII: When First I Ended

Michael Drayton 1563 (Hartshill) – 1631 (London)



When first I ended, then I first began,
The more I travell'd, further from my rest,
Where most I lost, there most of all I wan,
Pined with hunger rising from a feast.
Methinks I fly, yet want I legs to go,
Wise in conceit, in act a very sot,
Ravish'd with joy amid a hell of woe;
What most I seem, that surest am I not.
I build my hopes a world above the sky,
Yet with the mole I creep into the earth;
In plenty I am starv'd with penury,
And yet I surfeit in the greatest dearth.
I have, I want, despair and yet desire,
Burn'd in a sea of ice and drown'd amidst a fire.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
109

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFEGHIJIKK
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 576
Words 121
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Michael Drayton

Michael Drayton was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. more…

All Michael Drayton poems | Michael Drayton Books

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    "Sonnet LXII: When First I Ended" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/28126/sonnet-lxii:-when-first-i-ended>.

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