Doubts

Rupert Brooke 1887 (Rugby) – 1915 (Aegean Sea)




When she sleeps, her soul, I know,
Goes a wanderer on the air,
Wings where I may never go,
Leaves her lying, still and fair,
Waiting, empty, laid aside,
Like a dress upon a chair. . . .
This I know, and yet I know
Doubts that will not be denied.

For if the soul be not in place,
What has laid trouble in her face?
And, sits there nothing ware and wise
Behind the curtains of her eyes,
What is it, in the self's eclipse,
Shadows, soft and passingly,
About the corners of her lips,
The smile that is essential she?

And if the spirit be not there,
Why is fragrance in the hair?

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 10, 2023

34 sec read
139

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCBAC DDEEFXFX BB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 565
Words 114
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 2

Rupert Brooke

Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially "The Soldier". more…

All Rupert Brooke poems | Rupert Brooke Books

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