The Silkworm
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
The beams of April, ere it goes,
A worm, scarce visible, disclose;
All winter long content to dwell
The tenant of his native shell.
The same prolific season gives
The sustenance by which he lives,
The mulberry leaf, a simple store,
That serves him—till he needs no more!
For, his dimensions once complete,
Thenceforth none ever sees him eat;
Though till his growing time be past
Scarce ever is he seen to fast.
That hour arrived, his work begins.
He spins and weaves, and weaves and spins;
Till circle upon circle, wound
Careless around him and around,
Conceals him with a veil, though slight,
Impervious to the keenest sight.
Thus self-enclosed, as in a cask,
At length he finishes his task;
And, though a worm when he was lost,
Or caterpillar at the most,
When next we see him, wings he wears,
And in papilio pomp appears;
Becomes oviparous; supplies
With future worms and future flies
The next ensuing year—and dies!
Well were it for the world, if all
Who creep about this earthly ball,
Though shorter-lived than most he be,
Were useful in their kind as he.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 49 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKLMNOOOPPQQ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,043 |
Words | 190 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 31 |
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"The Silkworm" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40178/the-silkworm>.
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