The plaudite, or end of life

Robert Herrick 1591 (London) – 1674 (Dean Prior)



If after rude and boisterous seas
My wearied pinnace here finds ease;
If so it be I've gain'd the shore,
With safety of a faithful oar;
If having run my barque on ground,
Ye see the aged vessel crown'd;
What's to be done?  but on the sands
Ye dance and sing, and now clap hands.
--The first act's doubtful, but (we say)
It is the last commends the Play.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

22 sec read
377

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 352
Words 71
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10

Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick was born in London, England, in 1591. He was apprenticed to a goldsmith (his uncle, Sir William), but went to Cambridge, at St John's, in 1613. He was ordained at Peterborough in 1623 and became chaplain to the Duke of Buckingham a few years later. "Hesperides" - a collection of 1200 lyrical poems - was published in 1648 and it remained his magnum opus. Herrick died in 1674, aged 83. more…

All Robert Herrick poems | Robert Herrick Books

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