Love Is Strong

Richard Francis Burton 1821 (Torquay) – 1890 (Trieste)



A VIEWLESS thing is the wind,  
 But its strength is mightier far  
Than a phalanxed host in battle line,  
 Than the limbs of a Samson are.  
 
And a viewless thing is Love,
 And a name that vanisheth;  
But her strength is the wind’s wild strength above,  
 For she conquers shame and Death.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

16 sec read
108

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA BCBC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 296
Words 54
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

Richard Francis Burton

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS was an English geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, Egyptologist, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and cultures. According to one count, he spoke 29 European, Asian and African languages. Burton's best-known achievements include traveling in disguise to Mecca, an unexpurgated translation of One Thousand and One Nights, bringing the Kama Sutra to publication in English, and journeying with John Hanning Speke as the first Europeans to visit the Great Lakes of Africa in search of the source of the Nile. Burton's works and letters extensively criticized colonial policies of the British Empire, to the detriment of his career. He was a prolific and erudite author and wrote numerous books and scholarly articles about subjects including human behaviour, travel, falconry, fencing, sexual practices and ethnography. A characteristic feature of his books is the copious footnotes and appendices containing remarkable observations and information. more…

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    Who wrote the poem "Love After Love"?
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