The Prince
By Josephine Dodge Daskam
My heart it was a cup of gold
That at his lip did long to lie, But he hath drunk the red wine down, And tossed the goblet1 by. My heart it was a floating bird That through the world did wander free, But he hath locked it in a cage, And lost the silver key. |
My heart it was a white, white rose
That bloomed upon a broken bough2, He did but wear it for an hour, And it is withered now.
1. goblet: a drinking cup with a stem and a foot.
2. bough: a firm branch of a tree
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Explain your answer using textual evidence.
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My dead love came to me, and said:
'God gives me one hour's rest, To spend with thee on earth again: How shall we spend it best?' 'Why, as of old,' I said; and so We quarrelled1, as of old: But, when I turned to make my peace, That one short hour was told. |
1. quarrel: a verbal dispute or heated argument
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Explain your answer using textual evidence.
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The Dilettante1: a Modern Type
By Paul Lawrence Dunbar
He scribbles some in prose2 and verse,
And now and then he prints it; He paints a little,--gathers some Of Nature's gold and mints it. He plays a little, sings a song, Acts tragic roles, or funny; He does, because his love is strong, But not, oh, not for money! |
He studies almost everything
From social art to science; A thirsty mind, a flowing spring, Demand and swift compliance3. He looms above the sordid crowd-- At least through friendly lenses; While his mamma looks pleased and proud, And kindly pays expenses.
1. dilettante: an amateur, someone who dabbles in a field casually
2. prose: written language, not poetry
3. verse: poetry, usually with a fixed rhythm or meter
4. compliance: yielding or agreeing to or with another to conform
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To a Child Dancing Upon the Shore
By William Butler Yeats
Dance there upon the shore;
What need have you to care
For wind or water's roar?
And tumble out your hair
That the salt drops have wet;
Being young you have not known
The fool's triumph, nor yet
Love lost as soon as won.
And he, the best warrior, dead
And all the sheaves to bind!
What need that you should dread
The monstrous crying of wind?
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Explain your answer using textual evidence.
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