Bring, In This Timeless Grave to Throw
Alfred Edward Housman 1859 – 1936
Bring, in this timeless grave to throw,
No cypress, sombre on the snow;
Snap not from the bitter yew
His leaves that live December through;
Break no rosemary, bright with rime
And sparkling to the cruel clime;
Nor plod the winter land to look
For willows in the icy brook
To cast them leafless round him: bring
No spray that ever buds in spring.
But if the Christmas field has kept
Awns the last gleaner overstept,
Or shrivelled flax, whose flower is blue
A single season, never two;
Or if one haulm whose year is o'er
Shivers on the upland frore,
--Oh, bring from hill and stream and plain
Whatever will not flower again,
To give him comfort: he and those
Shall bide eternal bedfellows
Where low upon the couch he lies
Whence he never shall arise.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 97 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEE FFBBXAXXGGHH |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 756 |
Words | 139 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 12 |
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"Bring, In This Timeless Grave to Throw" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/871/bring,-in-this-timeless-grave-to-throw>.
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