The Ballade Of The Mistletoe Bough
Ellis Parker Butler 1869 (Muscatine) – 1937 (Williamsville)
I am standing under the mistletoe,
And I smile, but no answering smile replies
For her haughty glance bids me plainly know
That not for me is the thing I prize;
Instead, from her coldly scornful eyes,
Indifference looks on my barefaced guile;
She knows, of course, what my act implies—
But look at those lips! Do they hint a smile?
I stand here, eager, and beam and glow,
And she only looks a refined surprise
As clear and crisp and as cold as snow,
And as—Stop! I will never criticise!
I know what her cold glance signifies;
But I’ll stand just here as I am awhile
Till a smile to my pleading look replies—
But look at those lips! Do they hint a smile?
Just look at those lips, now! I claim they show
A spirit unmeet under Christmas skies;
I claim that such lips on such maidens owe
A—something—the custom justifies;
I claim that the mistletoe rule applies
To her as well as the rank and file;
We should meet these things in a cheerful guise—
But look at those lips! Do they hint a smile?
ENVOY
These customs of Christmas may shock the wise,
And mistletoe boughs may be out of style,
And a kiss be a thing that all maids despise—
But look at those lips, do! They hint a smile!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:08 min read
- 94 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,173 |
Words | 227 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 4 |
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"The Ballade Of The Mistletoe Bough" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/11066/the-ballade-of-the-mistletoe-bough>.
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