To Flush, My Dog



Loving friend, the gift of one
Who her own true faith has run
     Through thy lower nature,
Be my benediction said
With my hand upon thy head,
     Gentle fellow-creature!

Like a lady's ringlets brown,
Flow thy silken ears adown
     Either side demurely
Of thy silver-suited breast
Shining out from all the rest
     Of thy body purely.

Darkly brown thy body is,
Till the sunshine striking this
     Alchemise its dullness,
When the sleek curls manifold
Flash all over into gold
     With a burnished fulness.

Underneath my stroking hand,
Startled eyes of hazel bland
     Kindling, growing larger,
Up thou leapest with a spring,
Full of prank and curveting,
     Leaping like a charger.

Leap! thy broad tail waves a light,
Leap! thy slender feet are bright,
     Canopied in fringes;
Leap! those tasselled ears of thine
Flicker strangely, fair and fine
     Down their golden inches

Yet, my pretty, sportive friend,
Little is't to such an end
     That I praise thy rareness;
Other dogs may be thy peers
Haply in these drooping ears
     And this glossy fairness.

But of thee it shall be said,
This dog watched beside a bed
     Day and night unweary,
Watched within a curtained room
Where no sunbeam brake the gloom
     Round the sick and dreary.

Roses, gathered for a vase,
In that chamber died apace,
     Beam and breeze resigning;
This dog only, waited on,
Knowing that when light is gone
     Love remains for shining.

Other dogs in thymy dew
Tracked the hares and followed through
     Sunny moor or meadow;
This dog only, crept and crept
Next a languid cheek that slept,
     Sharing in the shadow.

Other dogs of loyal cheer
Bounded at the whistle clear,
     Up the woodside hieing;
This dog only, watched in reach
Of a faintly uttered speech
     Or a louder sighing.

And if one or two quick tears
Dropped upon his glossy ears
     Or a sigh came double,
Up he sprang in eager haste,
Fawning, fondling, breathing fast,
     In a tender trouble.

And this dog was satisfied
If a pale thin hand would glide
     Down his dewlaps sloping, --
Which he pushed his nose within,
After, -- platforming his chin
     On the palm left open.

This dog, if a friendly voice
Call him now to blither choice
     Than such chamber-keeping,
'Come out!' praying from the door, --
Presseth backward as before,
     Up against me leaping.

Therefore to this dog will I,
Tenderly not scornfully,
     Render praise and favor:
With my hand upon his head,
Is my benediction said
     Therefore and for ever.

And because he loves me so,
Better than his kind will do
     Often man or woman,
Give I back more love again
Than dogs often take of men,
     Leaning from my Human.

Blessings on thee, dog of mine,
Pretty collars make thee fine,
     Sugared milk make fat thee!
Pleasures wag on in thy tail,
Hands of gentle motion fail
     Nevermore, to pat thee

Downy pillow take thy head,
Silken coverlid bestead,
     Sunshine help thy sleeping!
No fly's buzzing wake thee up,
No man break thy purple cup
     Set for drinking deep in.

Whiskered cats arointed flee,
Sturdy stoppers keep from thee
     Cologne distillations;
Nuts lie in thy path for stones,
And thy feast-day macaroons
     Turn to daily rations!

Mock I thee, in wishing weal? --
Tears are in my eyes to feel
     Thou art made so straitly,
Blessing needs must straiten too, --
Little canst thou joy or do,
     Thou who lovest greatly.

Yet be blessed to the height
Of all good and all delight
     Pervious to thy nature;
Only loved beyond that line,
With a love that answers thine,
     Loving fellow-creature!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 06, 2023

3:00 min read
141

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCB XADEED FGHIIF JJBKKB LLFMMX NNGOOH CCBPPD QQKXXK RRSTTS UUKVVK XOWXXW XXKYYA ZZK1 1 K XDBCCB SRA2 2 A MMD3 3 D CCK4 4 Y DDFXFX DXDRRD LLBMMB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 3,454
Words 600
Stanzas 20
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent English poets of the Victorian era. more…

All Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems | Elizabeth Barrett Browning Books

20 fans

Discuss the poem To Flush, My Dog 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

    "To Flush, My Dog" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10406/to-flush,-my-dog>.

    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
    11
    hours
    31
    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?

    »
    Which poetic form consists of fourteen lines, typically written in iambic pentameter and follows a specific rhyme scheme?
    A Sonnet
    B Haiku
    C Ballad
    D Free verse