The Mother
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
Your children grow from you apart,
Afar and still afar;
And yet it should rejoice your heart
To see how glad they are;
In school and sport, in work and play,
And last, in wedded bliss
How others claim with joy to-day
The lips you used to kiss.
Your children distant will become,
And wide the gulf will grow;
The lips of loving will be dumb,
The trust you used to know
Will in another's heart repose,
Another's voice will cheer . . .
And you will fondle baby clothes
And brush away a tear.
But though you are estranged almost,
And often lost to view,
How you will see a little ghost
Who ran to cling to you!
Yet maybe children's children will
Caress you with a smile . . .
Grandmother love will bless you still,--
Well, just a little while.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 08, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 112 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFXXXX GHGHIJIJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 816 |
Words | 140 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
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"The Mother" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/32595/the-mother>.
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