Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SONG BEFORE DEATH, by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Sweet mother, in a minute's span Last Line: My true love to my dying day. Subject(s): Death; Flowers; Grief; Love - Loss Of; Roses; Dead, The; Sorrow; Sadness | ||||||||
SWEET mother, in a minute's span Death parts thee and my love of thee Sweet love, that yet art living man, Come back, true love, to comfort me. Back, ah, come back! ah wellaway! But my love comes not any day. As roses, when the warm West blows, Break to full flower and sweeten spring, My soul would break to a glorious rose In such wise at his whispering In vain I listen; wellaway! My love says nothing any day. You that will weep for pity of love On the low place where I am lain, I pray you, having wept enough, Tell him for whom I bore such pain That he was yet, ah! wellaway! My true love to my dying day. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONOMA FIRE by JANE HIRSHFIELD AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARDS by JOHN HOLLANDER WHAT GREAT GRIEF HAS MADE THE EMPRESS MUTE by JUNE JORDAN CHAMBER MUSIC: 19 by JAMES JOYCE DIRGE AT THE END OF THE WOODS by LEONIE ADAMS A BALLAD OF DEATH by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE |
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