Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A REED, by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A REED, by                 Poet's Biography
First Line: I am no trumpet, but a reed
Last Line: Then let them leave me in the sedge.
Subject(s): Reeds


I

I AM no trumpet, but a reed;
No flattering breath shall from me lead
A silver sound, a hollow sound:
I will not ring, for priest or king,
One blast that in re-echoing
Would leave a bondsman faster bound

II

I am no trumpet, but a reed, --
A broken reed, the wind indeed
Left flat upon a dismal shore;
Yet if a little maid or child
Should sigh within it, earnest-mild
This reed will answer evermore.

III

I am no trumpet, but a reed;
Go, tell the fishers, as they spread
Their nets along the river's edge,
I will not tear their nets at all,
Nor pierce their hands, if they should fall:
Then let them leave me in the sedge.





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