To an Absent Lover

Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)



That so much change should come when thou dost go,
Is mystery that I cannot ravel quite.
The very house seems dark as when the light
Of lamps goes out. Each wonted thing doth grow
So altered, that I wander to and fro
Bewildered by the most familiar sight,
And feel like one who rouses in the night
From dream of ecstasy, and cannot know
At first if he be sleeping or awake.
My foolish heart so foolish for thy sake
Hath grown, dear one!
Teach me to be more wise.
I blush for all my foolishness doth lack;
I fear to seem a coward in thine eyes.
Teach me, dear one,--but first thou must come back!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
127

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACCDEFEF
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 603
Words 120
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske, was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. more…

All Helen Hunt Jackson poems | Helen Hunt Jackson Books

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