Sonnet 11 - And therefore if to love can be desert
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
XI
And therefore if to love can be desert,
I am not all unworthy. Cheeks as pale
As these you see, and trembling knees that fail
To bear the burden of a heavy heart,—
This weary minstrel-life that once was girt
To climb Aornus, and can scarce avail
To pipe now 'gainst the valley nightingale
A melancholy music,—why advert
To these things? O Beloved, it is plain
I am not of thy worth nor for thy place!
And yet, because I love thee, I obtain
From that same love this vindicating grace,
To live on still in love, and yet in vain,—
To bless thee, yet renounce thee to thy face.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 75 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBCABBADEDEDE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 576 |
Words | 116 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Sonnet 11 - And therefore if to love can be desert" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10261/sonnet-11---and-therefore-if-to-love-can-be-desert>.
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