How Do I Love Thee?
HOW DO I LOVE THEE? by WILFRED OWEN
I cannot woo thee as the lion his mate, With proud parade and fierce prestige of presence; Nor thy fleet fancy may I captivate With pastoral attitudes in flowery pleasance; Nor will I kneeling court thee with sedate And comfortable plans of husbandhood; Nor file before thee as a candidate.... I cannot woo thee as a lover would.
To wrest thy hand from rivals, iron-gloved, Or cheat them by a craft, I am not clever. But I do love thee even as Shakespeare loved, Most gently wild, and desperately for ever, Full-hearted, grave, and manfully in vain, With thought, high pain, and ever vaster pain.
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| Author | Owen, Wilfred (1893-1918) |
|---|---|
| Title | How Do I Love Thee? |
| Item Date | 1983 |
| File type | Text |
| Content | Poem |
| Repository name | ProQuest |
| Repository URL | http://lion.chawyck.co.uk |
| Copyright | The Estate of Wilfred Owen. The Complete Poems and Fragments of Wilfred Owen edited by Jon Stallworthy first published by Chatto Windus, 1983. Preliminaries, introductory, editorial matter, manuscripts and fragments omitted. |
| First line | I cannot woo thee as the lion his mate, |
| Publication source | The Complete Poems and Fragments of Wilfred Owen |
| Publication editor | Stallworthy, Jon |
| Publishers | Chatto Windus |
| Publication place | London |
| Digital repository | The First World War Poetry Digital Archive |
| Reference URL | http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/3312 |
