I do but ask that you be always fair
Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892 (Rockland) – 1950 (Austerlitz)
I do but ask that you be always fair
That I forever may continue kind;
Knowing me what I am, you should not dare
To lapse from beauty ever, nor seek to bind
My alterable mood with lesser cords;
Weeping and such soft matters must invite
To further vagrancy; and bitter words
Chafe soon to irremediable flight,
Wherefore I pray you if you love me dearly,
Less dear to hold me than your own bright charms,
Whence it may fall that until death, or nearly,
I shall not move to struggle from your arms:
Fade if you must,--I would but bid you be
Like the sweet year, doing all things graciously.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 96 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDEDFGFGFF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 595 |
Words | 114 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"I do but ask that you be always fair" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/9377/i-do-but-ask-that-you-be-always-fair>.
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