When Cold December
Dame Edith Louisa Sitwell 1887 (Scarborough) – 1964 (Weedon Lois)
WHEN cold December
Froze to grisamber
The jangling bells on the sweet rose-trees--
Then fading slow
And furred is the snow
As the almond's sweet husk--
And smelling like musk.
The snow amygdaline
Under the eglantine
Where the bristling stars shine
Like a gilt porcupine--
The snow confesses
The little Princesses
On their small chioppines
Dance under the orpines.
See the casuistries
Of their slant fluttering eyes--
Gilt as the zodiac
(Dancing Herodiac).
Only the snow slides
Like gilded myrrh--
From the rose-branches--hides
Rose-roots that stir.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 26 sec read
- 140 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABCCDDEEEEFFBBBGHDIAIA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 556 |
Words | 88 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 23 |
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"When Cold December" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/7426/when-cold-december>.
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