Lear
Thomas Hood 1799 (London) – 1845 (London)
A poor old king, with sorrow for my crown,
Throned upon straw, and mantled with the wind—
For pity, my own tears have made me blind
That I might never see my children's frown;
And, may be, madness, like a friend, has thrown
A folded fillet over my dark mind,
So that unkindly speech may sound for kind—
Albeit I know not.—I am childish grown—
And have not gold to purchase wit withal—
I that have once maintain'd most royal state—
A very bankrupt now that may not call
My child, my child—all beggar'd save in tears,
Wherewith I daily weep an old man's fate,
Foolish—and blind—and overcome with years!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 25 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBACBBCDEDFEG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 626 |
Words | 113 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Lear" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36650/lear>.
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