Death and the Maiden

Elinor Morton Wylie 1885 (Somerville, New Jersey) – 1928 (New York City, New York)



BARCAROLE ON THE STYX

Fair youth with the rose at your lips,
A riddle is hid in your eyes;
Discard conversational quips,
Give over elaborate disguise.

The rose's funeral breath
Confirms by intuitive fears;
To prove your devotion, Sir Death,
Avaunt for a dozen of years.

But do not forget to array
Your terror in juvenile charms;
I shall deeply regret my delay
If I sleep in a skeleton's arms.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

22 sec read
60

Quick analysis:

Scheme X ABAB CDCD EFEF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 397
Words 72
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4

Elinor Morton Wylie

Elinor Morton Wylie was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry." more…

All Elinor Morton Wylie poems | Elinor Morton Wylie Books

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