The Least Possible
Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)
DEAR goddess of the shining shrine
Where all my votive tapers burn,
Where every gold-embroidered thought
And all my flowers of life are brought
--With many, alas! that are not mine--
What will you give me in return?
The bow in Bond Street--in the Park
The smile all worship on your lips,
The courteous word at dinner--dance--
But never a blush--a conscious glance;
At most, at Henley, in the dark,
Your fleet mistaken finger-tips?
Ah, just for once, once only, be
An altar-server--stoop and set me
Upon the altar richly wrought
Of your most secret flower-sweet thought:
One nightlight's flicker burn for me
Before you sleep and quite forget me.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 31 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCCAB DEFFDE GGCCGG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 635 |
Words | 112 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6 |
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"The Least Possible" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/8980/the-least-possible>.
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