And If I Did, What Then?

George Gascoigne 1535 (Cardington) – 1577



1       'And if I did, what then?
2     Are you aggriev'd therefore?
3     The sea hath fish for every man,
4     And what would you have more?'

5       Thus did my mistress once,
6     Amaze my mind with doubt;
7     And popp'd a question for the nonce
8     To beat my brains about.

9       Whereto I thus replied:
10   'Each fisherman can wish
11   That all the seas at every tide
12   Were his alone to fish.

13     'And so did I (in vain)
14   But since it may not be,
15   Let such fish there as find the gain,
16   And leave the loss for me.

17     'And with such luck and loss
18   I will content myself,
19   Till tides of turning time may toss
20   Such fishers on the shelf.

21     'And when they stick on sands,
22   That every man may see,
23   Then will I laugh and clap my hands,
24   As they do now at me.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
63

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB CDCD EFEF GHGH IFIF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 807
Words 166
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

George Gascoigne

George Gascoigne was an English poet, soldier and unsuccessful courtier. more…

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