Semele

Coventry Patmore 1823 (Woodford, London) – 1896 (Lymington)



No praise to me!
My joy 'twas to be nothing but the glass
Thro' which the general boon of Heaven should pass,
To focus upon thee.
Nor is't thy blame
Thou first should'st glow, and, after, fade i' the flame.
It takes more might
Than God has given thee, Dear, so long to feel delight.
Shall I, alas,
Reproach thee with thy change and my regret?
Blind fumblers that we be
About the portals of felicity!
The wind of words would scatter, tears would wash
Quite out the little heat
Beneath the silent and chill-seeming ash,
Perchance, still slumbering sweet.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
73

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACCDDBEAAFGHG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 545
Words 102
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Coventry Patmore

Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore was an English poet and critic best known for The Angel in the House, his narrative poem about an ideal happy marriage. more…

All Coventry Patmore poems | Coventry Patmore Books

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