Analysis of Song III: It Grew Up Without Heeding

William Morris 1834 (Walthamstow) – 1896 (London)



Love is enough: it grew up without heeding
In the days when ye knew not its name nor its measure,
And its leaflets untrodden by the light feet of pleasure
Had no boast of the blossom, no sign of the seeding,
As the morning and evening passed over its treasure.

And what do ye say then?--That Spring long departed
Has brought forth no child to the softness and showers;
--That we slept and we dreamed through the Summer of flowers;
We dreamed of the Winter, and waking dead-hearted
Found Winter upon us and waste of dull hours.

Nay, Spring was o'er-happy and knew not the reason,
And Summer dreamed sadly, for she thought all was ended
In her fulness of wealth that might not be amended;
But this is the harvest and the garnering season,
And the leaf and the blossom in the ripe fruit are blended.

It sprang without sowing, it grew without heeding,
Ye knew not its name and ye knew not its measure,
Ye noted it not mid your hope and your pleasure;
There was pain in its blossom, despair in its seeding,
But daylong your bosom now nurseth its treasure.


Scheme ABBAB CDDCD ECCEC ABBAB
Poetic Form
Metre 11011110110 0011111111110 011011011110 1111010111010 1010010110110 011111111010 111111010010 1110111010110 111010010110 110011011110 1111010011010 0101101111110 001111111010 1110100010010 00100100011110 110110110110 111110111110 110111110110 1110110010110 1111011110
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,042
Words 197
Sentences 6
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 41
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 207
Words per stanza (avg) 49
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
114

William Morris

William Morris, Mayor of Galway, 1527-28. more…

All William Morris poems | William Morris Books

0 fans

Discuss this William Morris poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Song III: It Grew Up Without Heeding" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41137/song-iii%3A-it-grew-up-without-heeding>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    11
    hours
    10
    minutes

    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?

    »
    How many sonnets did William Shakespeare wrote during his life?
    A 101
    B 5
    C 2
    D 154