Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ANSWER TO A KIND ENQUIRY, by MARY HOLTBY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ANSWER TO A KIND ENQUIRY, by                    
First Line: O, what can ail thee, knight at arms
Last Line: And feel so sick.
Subject(s): Keats, John (1795-1821); Knights & Knighthood; Poetry & Poets


O, what can ail thee, knight at arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
— I suffer intestinal qualms
And heartburn's sting.

These haggard cheeks, this fevered brow
My inner turbulence proclaim,
And antiperistalsis now
'S my only aim.

Last night my military mates
And I made merry in the Mess;
Ah, he who so participates
Should shun excess!

The blushful Hippocrene flowed on,
I leapt the chairs a shade too quick —
And that is why I look so wan
And feel so sick.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net