Ne'er Ask the Hour
Thomas Moore 1779 (Dublin) – 1852 (Bromham)
Ne'er ask the hour -- what is it to us
How Time deals out his treasures?
The golden moments lent us thus
Are not his coin, but Pleasure's.
If counting them o'er could add to their blisses,
I'd number each glorious second:
But moments of joy are, like Lesbia's kisses,
Too quick and sweet to be reckon'd.
Then fill the cup -- what is it to us
How time his circle measures?
The fairy hours we call up thus
Obey no wand but Pleasure's.
Young Joy ne'er thought of counting hours,
Till Care, one summer's morning,
Set up, among his smiling flowers,
A dial, by way of warning.
But Joy loved better to gaze on the sun,
As long as its light was glowing,
Than to watch with old Care how the shadow stole on,
And how fast that light was going.
So fill the cup -- what is it to us
How time his circle measures?
The fairy hours we call up thus
Obey no wand but Pleasure's.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 33 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | abaaacxcaBAA bdbdxdxdaBAA |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 868 |
Words | 171 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 12, 12 |
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"Ne'er Ask the Hour" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/36868/ne'er-ask-the-hour>.
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