Sonnet 92 [Behold that Tree, in Autumn’s dim decay]

Anna Seward 1742 (Eyam) – 1809



Behold that Tree, in Autumn’s dim decay,
   Stript by the frequent, chill, and eddying Wind;
   Where yet some yellow, lonely leaves we find
   Lingering and trembling on the naked spray,
Twenty, perchance, for millions whirl'd away!
   Emblem, alas! too just, of Humankind!
   Vain Man expects longevity, design'd
   For few indeed; and their protracted day
What is it worth that Wisdom does not scorn?
   The blasts of Sickness, Care, and Grief appal,
   That laid the Friends in dust, whose natal morn
Rose near their own;—and solemn is the call;—
   Yet, like those weak, deserted leaves forlorn,
   Shivering they cling to life, and fear to fall!
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Submitted by halel on July 13, 2020

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
34

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 657
Words 106
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Anna Seward

Anna Seward was a long-eighteenth-century English Romantic poet, often called the Swan of Lichfield. more…

All Anna Seward poems | Anna Seward Books

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