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The Fly

Walter de la Mare 1873 (Charlton, London) – 1956 (Twickenham)

How large unto the tiny fly
Must little things appear!-
A rosebud like a feather bed,
Its prickle like a spear;

A dewdrop like a looking-glass,
A hair like golden wire;
The smallest grain of mustard-see
As fierce as coals of fire;

A loaf of bread, a lofty hill;
A wasp, a cruel leopard;
And specks of sale as bright to see
As lambkins to a shepherd.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

21 sec read
607

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBCB XDCD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 346
Words 70
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4
Full analysis for The Fly »

Walter de la Mare

Walter John de la Mare was an English poet short story writer and novelist best remembered for his works for children and The Listeners He was born in Kent and was educated at St Pauls Cathedral School His first book Songs of Childhood was published under the name Walter Ramal His 1921 novel Memoirs of a Midget won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction more…

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    "The Fly" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/38312/the-fly>.

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