As the Clouds that are so Light

Edward Thomas 1878 (London Borough of Lambeth) – 1917 (Pas-de-Calais)



As the clouds that are so light,
Beautiful, swift, and bright,
Cast shadows on field and park
Of the earth that is so dark,

And even so now, light one!
Beautiful, swift and bright one!
You let fall on a heart that was dark,
Unillumined, a deeper mark.

But clouds would have, without earth
To shadow, far less worth:
Away from your shadow on me
Your beauty less would be,

And if it still be treasured
An age hence, it shall be measured
By this small dark spot
Without which it were not.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
418

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCBB DDEE FFGG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 478
Words 95
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Edward Thomas

Philip Edward Thomas was an Anglo-Welsh poet and essayist. more…

All Edward Thomas poems | Edward Thomas Books

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