If I should die tonight

William Percy French 1854 – 1920



"If I should die tonight
And you should come,
And stand beside me,
Lying cold and dumb,
And if while standing there,
You whispered low,
'Here's the ten pounds
You lent me years ago,'
I would arise, although they'd laid me flat,
And say, 'What's that?'

If I should die tonight
But rose to count
With trembling fingers,
That long lost amount
I might live on;
But when
You said' Here's your umbrella
And your fountain pen,'
For one short space
I'd gaze into thy face
And then
Drop dead again."

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

29 sec read
66

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxbxcxcdd Aexexfxfggff
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 491
Words 97
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 10, 12

William Percy French

William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) became known as one of Ireland's foremost songwriters and entertainers. Thanks to the late Oliver Nulty, French has become recognised for his watercolour paintings as well. William Percy French was a gifted polymath who had a number of artistic talents at his command. He could work very quickly, and his output is prodigious across many genres. more…

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