Dirge

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



COME away, come away, death,
   And in sad cypres let me be laid;
Fly away, fly away, breath;
   I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,
   O prepare it!
My part of death, no one so true
   Did share it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet,
   On my black coffin let there be strown;
Not a friend, not a friend greet
   My poor corse, where my bones shall be thrown:
A thousand thousand sighs to save,
   Lay me, O, where
Sad true lover never find my grave
   To weep there!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

30 sec read
317

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 512
Words 101
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

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