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Why, My Heart, Do We Love Her So?

William Ernest Henley 1849 (Gloucester) – 1903 (Woking)

Why, my heart, do we love her so?
(Geraldine, Geraldine!)
Why does the great sea ebb and flow? -
Why does the round world spin?
Geraldine, Geraldine,
Bid me my life renew:
What is it worth unless I win,
Love--love and you?

Why, my heart, when we speak her name
(Geraldine, Geraldine!)
Throbs the word like a flinging flame? -
Why does the Spring begin?
Geraldine, Geraldine,
Bid me indeed to be:
Open your heart, and take us in,
Love--love and me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 16, 2023

25 sec read
416

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBacBdcd eBecBfcf
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 440
Words 86
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Full analysis for Why, My Heart, Do We Love Her So? »

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus". more…

All William Ernest Henley poems | William Ernest Henley Books

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    "Why, My Heart, Do We Love Her So?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40592/why,-my-heart,-do-we-love-her-so?>.

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