The Beacon

Robert Graves 1895 (Wimbledon) – 1985 (Deià)



The silent shepherdess,
She of my vows,
Here with me exchanging love
Under dim boughs.

Shines on our mysteries
A sudden spark--
'Dout the candle, glow-worm,
Let all be dark.

'The birds have sung their last notes,
The Sun's to bed,
Glow-worm, dout your candle.'
The glow-worm said:

'I also am a lover;
The lamp I display
Is beacon for my true love
Wandering astray.

'Through the thick bushes
And the grass comes she
With a heartload of longing
And love for me.

'Sir, enjoy your fancy,
But spare me harm,
A lover is a lover,
Though but a worm.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
136

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABA ACDC AEXE FGBG AHXH AXFD
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 527
Words 104
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Robert Graves

Robert von Ranke Graves was an English poet, scholar/translator/writer of antiquity specializing in Classical Greece and Rome, novelist and soldier in World War One. more…

All Robert Graves poems | Robert Graves Books

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