Written at the Request of a Gentleman to Whom a Lady Had Given a Sprig of Myrtle
Samuel Johnson 1709 (Lichfield) – 1784 (London)
What hopes - what terrors does this gift create?
Ambiguous emblem of uncertain fate.
The myrtle (ensign of supreme command
Consign'd to Venus by Melissa's hand),
Not less capricious than a reigning fair,
Oft favours, oft rejects a lover's prayer.
In myrtle shades despairing ghosts complain:
The myrtle crowns the happy lover's heads,
The unhappy lovers' graves the myrtle spreads.
Oh! then the meaning of thy gift impart,
And ease the throbbings of an anxious heart:
Soon must this sprig, as you shall fix its doom,
Adorn Philander's head, or grace his tomb.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 30 sec read
- 122 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDEEFFGG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 557 |
Words | 95 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 13 |
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"Written at the Request of a Gentleman to Whom a Lady Had Given a Sprig of Myrtle" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/34214/written-at-the-request-of-a-gentleman-to-whom-a-lady-had-given-a-sprig-of-myrtle>.
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