Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BY THE WATER, by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BY THE WATER, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: There are rivers lapsing down
Last Line: And ah, where is my friend? --
Alternate Author Name(s): Alleyne, Ellen; Rossetti, Christina
Variant Title(s): River Thames
Subject(s): Flowers; Friendship; Lilies; Thames (river)


There are rivers lapsing down
Lily-laden to the sea;
Every lily is a boat
For bees, one, two, or three:
I wish there were a fairy boat
For you, my friend, and me.

We would rock upon the river,
Scarcely floating by;
Rocking rocking like the lilies,
You, my friend, and I;
Rocking like the stately lilies
Beneath the statelier sky.

But ah, where is that river
Whose hyacinth banks descend
Down to the sweeter lilies,
Till soft their shadows blend
Into a watery twilight? --
And ah, where is my friend? --





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