Modern Love XXVI: Love Ere He Bleeds
George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)
Love ere he bleeds, an eagle in high skies,
Has earth beneath his wings: from reddened eve
He views the rosy dawn. In vain they weave
The fatal web below while far he flies.
But when the arrow strikes him, there's a change.
He moves but in the track of his spent pain,
Whose red drops are the links of a harsh chain,
Binding him to the ground, with narrow range.
A subtle serpent then has Love become.
I had the eagle in my bosom erst:
Henceforward with the serpent I am cursed.
I can interpret where the mouth is dumb.
Speak, and I see the side-lie of a truth.
Perchance my heart may pardon you this deed:
But be no coward:--you that made Love bleed,
You must bear all the venom of his tooth!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 90 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBACDDCEFFEGFFG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 686 |
Words | 138 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
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"Modern Love XXVI: Love Ere He Bleeds" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15540/modern-love-xxvi:-love-ere-he-bleeds>.
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