The Fairies Break Their Dances

Alfred Edward Housman 1859 – 1936



The fairies break their dances
And leave the printed lawn,
And up from India glances
The silver sail of dawn.

The candles burn their sockets,
The blinds let through the day,
The young man feels his pockets
And wonders what's to pay.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 11, 2023

13 sec read
129

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA BCBC
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 240
Words 44
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

Alfred Edward Housman

Alfred Edward Housman, usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.  more…

All Alfred Edward Housman poems | Alfred Edward Housman Books

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