Apology to Delia
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
This evening, Delia, you and I,
Have managed most delightfully,
For with a frown we parted;
Having contrived some trifle that
We both may be much troubled at,
And sadly disconcerted.
Yet well as each performed their part,
We might perceive it was but art;
And that we both intended
To sacrifice a little ease;
For all such petty flaws as these
Are made but to be mended.
You knew, dissembler! all the while,
How sweet it was to reconcile
After this heavy pelt;
That we should gain by this allay
When next we met, and laugh away
The care we never felt.
Happy! when we but seek to endure
A little pain, then find a cure
By double joy requited;
For friendship, like a severed bone,
Improves and joins a stronger tone
When amply reunited.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 41 sec read
- 31 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXABBA CCADDE FFGHHG IIAJJE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 721 |
Words | 138 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6 |
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"Apology to Delia" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/39817/apology-to-delia>.
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