Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, FANCY, by JEAN INGELOW


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

FANCY, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: O fancy, if thou flyest, come back anon
Last Line: A netted halcyon bird to sing of rest.
Subject(s): Birds; Fate; Love; Rest; Destiny


O FANCY, if thou flyest, come back anon,
Thy fluttering wings are soft as love's first word.
And fragrant as the feathers of that bird,
Which feeds upon the budded cinnamon.
I ask thee not to work, or sigh -- play on,
From nought that was not, was, or is, deterred;
The flax that Old Fate spun thy flights have stirred,
And waved memorial grass of Marathon.
Play, but be gentle, not as on that day
I saw thee running down the rims of doom
With stars thou hadst been stealing -- while they lay
Smothered in light and blue -- clasped to thy breast;
Bring rather to me in the firelit room
A netted halcyon bird to sing of rest.





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