Her Dilemma
Thomas Hardy 1840 (Stinsford) – 1928 (Dorchester, Dorset)
THE two were silent in a sunless church,
Whose mildewed walls, uneven paving-stones,
And wasted carvings passed antique research;
And nothing broke the clock's dull monotones.
Leaning against a wormy poppy-head,
So wan and worn that he could scarcely stand,
--For he was soon to die,--he softly said,
"Tell me you love me!"--holding hard her hand.
She would have given a world to breathe "yes" truly,
So much his life seemed hanging on her mind,
And hence she lied, her heart persuaded throughly,
'Twas worth her soul to be a moment kind.
But the sad need thereof, his nearing death,
So mocked humanity that she shamed to prize
A world conditioned thus, or care for breath
Where Nature such dilemmas could devise.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 97 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 797 |
Words | 126 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Her Dilemma" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36382/her-dilemma>.
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