When I by Thy Faire Shape Did Sweare

Richard Lovelace 1618 – 1657



I.

When I by thy faire shape did sweare,
And mingled with each vowe a teare,
I lov'd, I lov'd thee best,
I swore as I profest.
For all the while you lasted warme and pure,
My oathes too did endure.
But once turn'd faithlesse to thy selfe and old,
They then with thee incessantly grew cold.

II.

I swore my selfe thy sacrifice
By th' ebon bowes that guard thine eyes,
Which now are alter'd white,
And by the glorious light
Of both those stars, which of their spheres bereft,
Only the gellie's left.
Then changed thus, no more I'm bound to you,
Then swearing to a saint that proves untrue.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
105

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBAACC XXDDEEXA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 591
Words 114
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Richard Lovelace

Richard Lovelace was an English poet more…

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