Modern Love XXVIII: I Must Be Flattered
George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)
I must be flattered. The imperious
Desire speaks out. Lady, I am content
To play with you the game of Sentiment,
And with you enter on paths perilous;
But if across your beauty I throw light,
To make it threefold, it must be all mine.
First secret; then avowed. For I must shine
Envied,--I, lessened in my proper sight!
Be watchful of your beauty, Lady dear!
How much hangs on that lamp you cannot tell.
Most earnestly I pray you, tend it well:
And men shall see me as a burning sphere;
And men shall mark you eyeing me, and groan
To be the God of such a grand sunflower!
I feel the promptings of Satanic power,
While you do homage unto me alone.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 38 sec read
- 116 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCADEEDFGGFHIIH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 654 |
Words | 127 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
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"Modern Love XXVIII: I Must Be Flattered" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15542/modern-love-xxviii:-i-must-be-flattered>.
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