Song (Untitled #13)

George Meredith 1828 (Portsmouth, Hampshire) – 1909 (Box Hill, Surrey)



Under boughs of breathing May,
In the mild spring-time I lay,
Lonely, for I had no love;
And the sweet birds all sang for pity,
Cuckoo, lark, and dove.

Tell me, cuckoo, then I cried,
Dare I woo and wed a bride?
I, like thee, have no home-nest;
And the twin notes thus tuned their ditty, -
'Love can answer best.'

Nor, warm dove with tender coo,
Have I thy soft voice to woo,
Even were a damsel by;
And the deep woodland crooned its ditty, -
'Love her first and try.'

Nor have I, wild lark, thy wing,
That from bluest heaven can bring
Bliss, whatever fate befall;
And the sky-lyrist trilled this ditty, -
'Love will give thee all.'

So it chanced while June was young,
Wooing well with fervent song,
I had won a damsel coy;
And the sweet birds that sang for pity,
Jubileed for joy.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
49

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCB DDECE FFGCG HHICI XXJCJ
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 787
Words 155
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

George Meredith

George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. more…

All George Meredith poems | George Meredith Books

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