To his conscience
Robert Herrick 1591 (London) – 1674 (Dean Prior)
Can I not sin, but thou wilt be
My private protonotary?
Can I not woo thee, to pass by
A short and sweet iniquity?
I'll cast a mist and cloud upon
My delicate transgression,
So utter dark, as that no eye
Shall see the hugg'd impiety.
Gifts blind the wise, and bribes do please
And wind all other witnesses;
And wilt not thou with gold be tied,
To lay thy pen and ink aside,
That in the mirk and tongueless night,
Wanton I may, and thou not write?
--It will not be: And therefore, now,
For times to come, I'll make this vow;
From aberrations to live free:
So I'll not fear the judge, or thee.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 50 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCADECFGHFFFFIIAA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 583 |
Words | 118 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 18 |
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"To his conscience" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/31440/to-his-conscience>.
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