Sonnet XIX: The Soul's Rialto
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
The soul's Rialto hath its merchandise;
I barter curl for curl upon that mart,
And from my poet's forehead to my heart
Receive this lock which outweighs argosies,--
As purply black, as erst to Pindar's eyes
The dim purpureal tresses gloomed athwart
The nine white Muse-brows. For this counterpart,...
The bay-crown's shade, Belovèd, I surmise,
Still lingers on thy curl, it so black!
Thus, with a fillet of smooth-kissing breath,
I tie the shadows safe from gliding back,
And lay the gift where nothing hindereth;
Here on my heart, as on thy brow, to lack
No natural heat till mine grows cold in death.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 62 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBAACBADEDEDE |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 611 |
Words | 107 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"Sonnet XIX: The Soul's Rialto" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10322/sonnet-xix:-the-soul's-rialto>.
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