The Despot

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



1     The garden mould was damp and chill,
2     Winter had had his brutal will
3     Since over all the year's content
4     His devastating legions went.

5     Then Spring's bright banners came: there woke
6     Millions of little growing folk
7     Who thrilled to know the winter done,
8     Gave thanks, and strove towards the sun.

9     Not so the elect; reserved, and slow
10   To trust a stranger-sun and grow,
11   They hesitated, cowered and hid
12   Waiting to see what others did.

13   Yet even they, a little, grew,
14   Put out prim leaves to day and dew,
15   And lifted level formal heads
16   In their appointed garden beds.

17   The gardener came: he coldly loved
18   The flowers that lived as he approved,
19   That duly, decorously grew
20   As he, the despot, meant them to.

21   He saw the wildlings flower more brave
22   And bright than any cultured slave;
23   Yet, since he had not set them there,
24   He hated them for being fair.

25   So he uprooted, one by one
26   The free things that had loved the sun,
27   The happy, eager, fruitful seeds
28   That had not known that they were weeds.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 24, 2023

1:02 min read
209

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH XXGG IIJJ DDKK
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,107
Words 205
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem The Despot 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

    "The Despot" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8944/the-despot>.

    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
    3
    hours
    1
    minute

    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 the 1892 poem Gunga Din?
    A Alfred, Lord Tennyson
    B Ho Xuan Huong
    C Rudyard Kipling
    D Walt Whitman