Sonet VI

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



As in the hostel by the bridge I sate,
Nailed with indifference fondly deemed complete,
And (O strange chance, more sorrowful than sweet)
The counterfeit of her that was my fate,
Dressed in like vesture, graceful and sedate,
Went quietly up the vacant village street,
The still small sound of her most dainty feet
Shook, like a trumpet blast, my soul's estate.
Instant revolt ran riot through my brain,
And all night long, thereafter, hour by hour,
The pageant of dead love before my eyes
Went proudly; and old hopes, broke loose again
From the restraint of wisely temperate power,
With ineffectual ardour sought to rise.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDEFDE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 616
Words 108
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

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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