Upon His Picture

Thomas Randolph 1605 (Newnham) – 1635



When age hath made me what I am not now,
And every wrinkle tells me where the plow
Of time hath furrowed; when an ice shall flow
Through every vein, and all my head wear snow;
When death displays his coldness in my cheek,
And I myself in my own picture seek,
Not finding what I am, but what I was,
In doubt which to believe, this or my glass:
Yet though I alter, this remains the same
As it was drawn, retains the primitive frame
And first complexion; here will still be seen
Blood on the cheek, and down upon the chin;
Here the smooth brow will stay, the lively eye,
The ruddy lip, and hair of youthful dye.
Behold what frailty we in man may see,
Whose shadow is less given to change than he!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
140

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDEFFGHIIJJ
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 701
Words 139
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Thomas Randolph

Thomas Randolph was an English poet and dramatist. more…

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