Mine Eyes Were Swift To Know Thee

Robert Louis Stevenson 1850 (Edinburgh) – 1894 (Vailima, Samoa)



MINE eyes were swift to know thee, and my heart
As swift to love.  I did become at once
Thine wholly, thine unalterably, thine
In honourable service, pure intent,
Steadfast excess of love and laughing care:
And as she was, so am, and so shall be.
I knew thee helpful, knew thee true, knew thee
And Pity bedfellows: I heard thy talk
With answerable throbbings.  On the stream,
Deep, swift, and clear, the lilies floated; fish
Through the shadows ran.  There, thou and I
Read Kindness in our eyes and closed the match.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
126

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFFGHIJK
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 513
Words 95
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. more…

All Robert Louis Stevenson poems | Robert Louis Stevenson Books

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