A Riddle
Thomas Parnell 1679 (Dublin) – 1718
Upon a Bed of humble clay
In all her Garments loose
A Prostitute my Mother lay
To ev'ry Comer's use.
'Till one Gallant in heat of love
His Own Peculiar made her
And to a Region far above
And softer Beds convey'd her.
But in his Absence, to his Place
His rougher Rival came
And with a cold constrain'd Embrace
Begat me on the Dame.
I then appear'd to Publick View
A Creature wondrous bright
But shortly perishable too
Inconstant, nice and light.
On Feathers not together fast
I wildly flew about
And from my Father's country past
To find my Mother out.
Where her Gallant of her beguil'd
With me enamour'd grew
And I that was my Mother's Child
Brought forth my Mother too.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 40 sec read
- 55 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHIJIJKGKG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 655 |
Words | 127 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 24 |
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"A Riddle" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36984/a-riddle>.
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