The Belated Swallow

Mary Hannay Foott 1846 (Glasgow) – 1918 (Bundaberg)



And the birds of the air have nests.”

Belated swallow, whither flying?
The day is dead, the light is dying,
The night draws near:
Where is thy nest, slow put together,
Soft-lined with moss and downy feather,
For shelter-place in stress of weather
And darkness drear?

Past, past, above the lighted city,
Unknowing of my wondering pity,
Seaward she flies.
Alas, poor bird! what rude awaking
Has driven thee forth, when storms are breaking,
And frightened gulls the waves forsaking
With warning cries?

Alas, my soul! while leaves are greenest
Thy heedless head thou fondly screenest
Beneath thy wing.
How bravely thou thy plumage wearest,
How lightly thou life's burthen bearest,
How happily thy home preparest,
In careless spring!

Yet Destiny the hour may bring thee
When none of all that sing can sing thee
To joy or rest!
When all the winds that blow shall blow thee;
And, ere the floods shall overflow thee,
The sunlight linger but to show thee
Thy shattered nest

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme X AABCCCB DDEAAAE XDADDDA DDFDDDF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 946
Words 168
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 1, 7, 7, 7, 7

Mary Hannay Foott

Mary Hannay Foott 26 September 1846 12 October 1918 was an Australian poet and editor who is best remembered for the poem Where the pelican builds more…

All Mary Hannay Foott poems | Mary Hannay Foott Books

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    "The Belated Swallow" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/26906/the-belated-swallow>.

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