Idleness



O idleness, too fond of me,
Begone, I know and hate thee!
Nothing canst thou of pleasure see
In one that so doth rate thee;

For empty are both mind and heart
While thou with me dost linger;
More profit would to thee impart
A babe that sucks its finger.

I know thou hast a better way
To spend these hours thou squand'rest;
Some lad toils in the trough to-day
Who groans because thou wand'rest;

A bleating sheep he dowses now
Or wrestles with ram's terror;
Ah, 'mid the washing's hubbub, how
His sighs reproach thine error!

He knows and loves thee, Idleness;
For when his sheep are browsing,
His open eyes enchant and bless
A mind divinely drowsing;

No slave to sleep, he wills and sees
From hill-lawns the brown tillage;
Green winding lanes and clumps of trees,
Far town or nearer village,

The sea itself; the fishing feet
Where more, thine idle lovers,
Heark'ning to sea-mews find thee sweet
Like him who hears the plovers.

Begone; those haul their ropes at sea,
These plunge sheep in yon river:
Free, free from toil thy friends, and me
From Idleness deliver!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 10, 2023

59 sec read
39

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAA BCBC DBDX ECEC XFXF GHGH IJIJ ACAC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,036
Words 193
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Thomas Sturge Moore

Thomas Sturge Moore was an English poet author and artist He was born on 4 March 1870 and was educated at Dulwich College the Croydon Art School and Lambeth Art School He was a long-term friend and correspondent of W B Yeats He was also a playwright writing a Medea influenced by Yeats drama and the Japanese Noh style Sturge Moore was a prolific poet and his subjects included morality art and the spirit His first pamphlet Two Poems was printed privately in 1893 and his first book of verse The Vinedresser was published in 1899 His love for poetry lead him to become an active member of the Poetry Recital Society His first of 31 plays to be produced was Aphrodite against Artemis 1906 staged by the Literary Theatre Club of which he became a member in 1908 He received a civil list pension in 1920 in recognition for his contribution to literature and in 1930 he was nominated as one of seven candidates for the position of Poet Laureate He died on 18 July 1944 He adopted the name Sturge as a way of avoiding confusion with the poet Thomas Moore more…

All Thomas Sturge Moore poems | Thomas Sturge Moore Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Idleness with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Idleness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/37139/idleness>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    6
    hours
    40
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote "I have taken the bones you hardened and built daughters"?
    A Sylvia Plath
    B Maya Angelou
    C Robert Hayden
    D Lucille Clifton