English Lit Poems

7/31/2019 English Lit Poems

1/13

To autumn

Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness

Close bossom friend of the maturing sun

Conspiring with hime how to load and bless

With fruit vines round the thatch eaves run

To bend with apples the mossd cottage treesAnd fill all fruit with ripeness to the core

To swell the gourd an plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel to set budding more

And still more later flowers for the bees

Till they think warm days will never cease

For summer over brimmed there clammy cells

Who hath not seen the oft amid thy store

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor

Thy hair soft lifted by the winnowing windOr on a half reaped furrow sound asleep

Drowsd by the fumes of poppies while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twind flowers

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook

Or by cider press with patient look

Thou watchest the last oozing hours by hours

Where are the songs of spring aye where are they

Think not of them thou hast thy music too

While bared clouds bloom the soft dying dayAnd toush the stubble plains with rosy hue

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows bourn aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies

And full-grown lambs bleat from hilly bourn

Hedge crickets sing and now with a treble soft

The redbreast whistles from a garden croft

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies


2/13

First love john clare

I neer was struck before that hour

With love so sudden and so sweet

Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower

And stole my heart away complete

My face turned pale as deadly pale

My legs refused to walk away

And when she looked what could I ail

My life and all seems turned to clay

An then my blood rushed to my face

And took my sight away

The trees and bushes round the place

Seemed midnight at noonday

I could not see a single thingWord from my hgeart did start

They spoke as chords do from the string

And blood burnt round my heart

Are flowers the winters choice

Is loves bed always snow

She seems to hear my silent voice

And loves appeal to know

I never saw so sweet a face

As that I stood before

My heart has left it dwelling place

And can come no more


3/13

My last duchess- Robert burns

That my last duchess painted on the wall

Looking as if she were alive I call

That piece of wonder now fra pandolfs hands

Worked busily a day and there she stands

Willt please you sit and look at her I said

Fra pandolfs desin by design for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countance

The depth of passion of that earnest glance

But to myself they turned (since none puts by

The curtain I have drawn for you but I)

And seemed as they would ask me durst

How such a glance came there so not the first

are you to turn and ask thus sir twas not

her husbands presence only called that spotof joy into the duchesses cheek perhaps

Fra pandolf chanced to say her mantle lips

Over my ladys wrist too much or paint

Must never hope to reproduce the faint

Half flush that dies along her throat such stuff

Was courtesy she thought and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy she had

A heart how shall I say too soon made glad

Too easily impressed she liked whateer

She looked on and her looks went everywhere

Sir twas all one my favour at her breast

The dropping of daylight in the west

The bough of cherries some officious fool

Broke into the orchard for her the white mule

She rode round the terrace all and each

Would draw from her alike the approving speech

Or blush at least she thanked men good but thanked

Somehow I know not how as if she ranked

My gift of a thousuand yer old name

With anybodys gift whod stoop to blame

This sort of trifling even had you skill

In speech-which I have not- to make your will

Quite clear to such an one and say just this

Or that in you disgust me here you miss

Or there you exceed the mark and if she

Herself be lessoned so nor plainily set

Her wits to yours forsooth and made excuse

Een then would be some stooping

and I choose

never to stoop oh sir she smiled no

doubt

wheneer I passed her but who

passed without

much the same smile this grew I

gave commands

then all smiles stopped together

there she stands

as alive willt you please rise well

meet

the company below then i repeat

the count your mastes known

munifesence

is ample warrant that no just

pretence

of mine for dowry will be disallowedthough his fair daughters self as I

vowed

at starting is my object nay well go

together down sir notice Neptune

though

taming a seahorse thought a rairity

which claus innesbruck cast in

bronze for me


4/13

To his coy mistress

Had we but worl enough and time

This coyness lady were no crime

We would sit down and think which way

To walk and pass our long loves day

Thou by the Indian ganges side

Shouldst rubies find I by tide

O humber would complain I would

Love you ten years before the flood

And you please refuse

Till the conversion of the jews

My vegetable love should grow

Vaster than empires and more slow

An hundred years should go to praise

Thine eyes on thy forehead gazeTwo hundred to adore each breast

But thirty thousaund to the rest

An age atleast to every part

And the last age should show your heart

For lady you deserve this state

Nor would I love at lower rate

But at my back I always hear

Times wwinged chariot hurrying near

And yonder all before us lie

Deserts of vast eternity

Thy beauty shall no more be found

Nor thy marble vault shall sound

My echoing song thn worms shall try

That long preserved virginity

And your quaint honour turn to dust

And into ashes all my lust

The graves a fine and private place

But none I thinke do there embrace

Now therefore while the youthful hue

Sits on thy skin like morning dew

And while thy willing soul transpires

At every pore with instant fires

Now let us sport while we may

And now like amorous birds of prey

Rather at once our time devaour

Than languish in his slow chapt power

Let us roll all our strength and all

Our sweetness up into one ball

And tear our pleasures with rough

strife

Through the iron gates of life

Thus though we cannot make our sun

Stand still yet we will make him run


5/13

Shall I compare thee to a sommers day

Thou art more tempert than the darling buds of mai

Rough windes do shake the darling buds of mai

And sommers lease hath all too short a date

Sometimes too hot the eye of heavan shines

And often is his complexion dimid

And every faire from faire some time declines

By chance or natures changing course untrimd

But thy eternal sommer shall not fade

Nor loose possession of that faire thou owst

Nor shall death brag thou wandrst in his shade

When in eternall lines to times thou growst

So long as man can breath or eyes can see

So long loves this and this gives life to thee


6/13

Ballad anon

A faithless shepherd courted me

He stole my liberty

When my poor heart was strange to men

He came and smiled and stole it then

When my apron would hang low

Me he sought through frost and snow

When it puckered up with shame

And I sought him he never came

When summer brought no fears to fright

He came to guard me every night

When winter night did darkly prove

None came to guard me or to love

I wish I wish- but it in vain

That I was a maid again

A maid again I cannot be

O when will green grass cover me

I wish my babe neer been born

Ive made its bed on a thorn

I wish my sorrows all away

My soul with god my body clay

He promised me beds as fine as silk

And sheets of love as whit as milk

But he when won my heart astray

Left me to want a bed of caly

He kept his sheep on yonder hill

His heart seemed soft but it was steel

I ran with love and was undone

O had I walked ere I did run

He has two hearts and I have none

Hell be rogue when I am gone

To thee my baby unto thee as he has been too long to me

I weep the past, I dread the gloom

Of sorrows in the time to come

When thou without a friend shalt be

Weeping on a strangers knee

My heart would break but it is brassTo see thee smile upon my face

To see thee smile at words that be

The messengers of grief to thee

I wish ny child thoudst neer been

born

Ive thy pillow on a thorn

I wish our sorrows both away

Our soul with god our bodies clay


7/13

To a mouse

Wee sleekit cowrin timrous beastie

O what a panics in thy breastie

Thoud need na start awa sae hasty

Wi bickering brattle

I wad be laith to rin an chase thee

Wi murdering prattle

Im truly sorry mans dominion

Has broken nature social union

An justifies that ill opinion

Which makes thee startle

At me thy poor earth companion

An fellow mortal

I doubt na whyles but thou may thieve

What then? Poor beastie thou maun live

A daimen icker in a thrave

S a sma request

Ill get blessin wi the lave

And never misst

Thy wee bit housie too in ruin

Its silly was teh wins are strewin

An naething,now,to big a new ane

O foggage green

An bleak Decembers winds ensuin

Baith snell keen

Thou saw the fields laid bare an waste

An weary winters coming fast

An cosie here beneath the blast

Thou thought to dwell

Till crash the cruel coulter past

Out thro thy cell

That wee bit heap o leaves an stibble

Has cost thee mony a weary nibble

Now thoust turnd out for a thy nibble

Now thous turnd out for a thy trouble

But house or hald

To thole the winters sleety dribble

An cranreuch cauld

But mousie thou art no thy lane

In proving foresight may be vain

The best laid schemes o mice an

men

Gang aft agley

An leae us nought but grief and painFor promisd joy

Still thou art blest compard wi me

The present only toucheth thee

But och I backward cast my ee

Oh prospects drear

An forward tho I canna see

I guess an fear


8/13

The flea

Mark but thus flea and mark in this

How little that which thou denyst me is

It suckd me first, and now sucks thee

And in this flea our two bloods mingled be

Thou knowst that this cannot be said

A sin nor shame nor loss of maiden head

Yet this enjoys before it woo

And pampers swells with one blood made of two

And this alas is more than we would

Oh stay three lives in one flea spare

Where we almost yea more than married are

This flea is you and I this

Our marriage bed, and marriage temple isThous parents grudge and you were met

And cloistered in these living walls of jet

Though use make you apt to kill me

Let not to that self murder added be

And sacriledge three sins in killing three

Cruel and sudden hast thou since

Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence

Wherein could this flea guilty be

Except in that drop which it suckd from thee

Yet thou triumphst and sayst that thou

Findst not thyself nor me the weaker now

Tis true then learn how false fears be

Just so much honour when thous yieldst me

Will waste as this fleas death took life from thee


9/13

Let me not sonnent cxvi

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds

Or bends with the remover to remove

O no it is an ever fixed marke

That looks on tempest and is never shaken

It is the star to every wandring barke

Whose worths unknown although his highth be taken

Lovs not time fool though rosie lips and cheek

Within his bending sickles compasse come

Love alters not with his breefe hours and weekes

But beares it out even to the edge of doomeIf this be error and upon me proved

I never writ no man ever loved


10/13


11/13

Prophyrias lover

The rain set in early to-night

The sullen wind was soon awake

It tore the elem tops down for spite

And did its worst to vex the lake

I listened with a heart fit to break

When glided in prophyria; straight

She shut the cold out and the storm

And kneeled and made the cheerless grate

Blaze up and all the cottage warm

Which done she rpse and from her form

Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl

And laid her soiled gloves by untied

Her hat and let the damp hair fallAnd last she sat by my side

And called me when no voice replied

She put my arm about her waist

And made her smooth white shoulder bare

And all her yellow hair displaced

And stooping made my sheek lie there

And spread oer all her yellow hair

Murmuring how she loved me- she

Too weak for all her hearts endeavour

To set its struggling passion free

From pride and vainer ties dissever

And give herself to me forever

But passion sometimes would prevail

Nor could tonights gay feast restrain

A sudden thought of one so pale

For love of her and all in vain

So, she was come through wind and rain

Be sure I looked up at her eyes

Happy and proud att last I knew

Prophyria worshipped me surprise

Made my heart swell and still it grew

While I debated what to do

That moment she was mine mine fair

Perfectly pure and good

A thing to do and all her hair

In one yellow string I wound round

Three times her little throat around

And strangled her. No pain felt she

I am quite sure she felt no painAs a shut bud holds a bee

I warily oped her lids again

Laughed the blue eyes without a

stain

And I untightened next the tress

About her neck her cheek once moreBlushed bright beneath my burning

kiss

I propped her head up as before

Only this time my shoulders bore

Her head which droops upon it still

The smiling rosy little head

So glad it has it utmost will

Thats all its scorned at once is fled

And I its love am gained instead

Prophyrias love she guessed not how

Her darling one wish would be heardAnd thus we sit together now

And all night we have not stirred

And yet god has not said a word


12/13

La belle dame sans merci

O what can ail thee knight at arms

Alone and palely loitering

The sedge has witherd from the lake

And no birds sing

O what can ail thee knight at arms

So haggard and woebegone

The squirrels granary is full

And the harvests done

I see a lily on thy browWith anguish moist and fever dew

And on thy cheeks a fading rose

Fast withereth too

I met a lady in the meads

Full beautiful- a faerys child

Her hair was long her foot was light

And her eyes wild

I made a garland for her head

And braclets too and fragrant zone

She lookd me as she did love

And made sweet moan

I set her on my pacing steed

And nothing else saw all day long

For sidelong would she bend and sing

A faerys song

She found me roots of relish sweey

And honey wild and manna dew

And sure in language strange she said

I love thee true

She took me to her elfin grot

And there she wept and sighd full sore

And then I shut her wild wild eyes

With kisses four

And there she lulled me asleeoAnd there I dreamd ah woe betide

The latest dream I ever dreamd

On the cold hills side

I saw pale kings and princes tooPale warriors, death pale were they

all

They cried- la belle dame sans merci

Hath thee in thrall

I saw their starved kips in the gloam

With horrid warning gaped wide

And I awoke and found me here

On the cold hills side

And this is why I sijourn here

Alone and palely loitering

Though the sedge has withered from

the lake

And no birds sing


13/13

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English Lit Poems