Sonnet XXIX. To Miss C----

Charlotte Smith 1749 (London) – 1806 (Tilford, Surrey)



On being desired to attempt writing a Comedy.

WOULD'ST thou then have me tempt the comic scene
Of gay Thalia? used so long to tread
The gloomy paths of sorrow's cypress shade;
And the lorn lay with sighs and tears to stain?
Alas! how much unfit her sprightly vein,
Arduous to try!--and seek the sunny mead,
And bowers of roses, where she loves to lead
The sportive subjects of her golden reign!
Enough for me, if still, to sooth my days,
Her fair and pensive sister condescend,
With tearful smile to bless my simple lays;
Enough, if her soft notes she sometimes lend,
To gain for me of feeling hearts the praise,
And chiefly thine, my ever partial friend!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
26

Quick analysis:

Scheme X XAXBBXABCDCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 650
Words 122
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 1, 14

Charlotte Smith

Charlotte Turner Smith was an English Romantic poet and novelist. She initiated a revival of the English sonnet, helped establish the conventions of Gothic fiction, and wrote political novels of sensibility. A successful writer, she published ten novels, three books of poetry, four children's books, and other assorted works over the course of her career. She saw herself as a poet first and foremost, poetry at that period being considered the most exalted form of literature. Scholars now credit her with transforming the sonnet into an expression of woeful sentiment. more…

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