Sonnet: Oh! Death will find me, long before I tire

Rupert Brooke

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Oh! Death will find me, long before I tire
Of watching you; and swing me suddenly
Into the shade and loneliness and mire
Of the last land! There, waiting patiently,

One day, I think, I'll feel a cool wind blowing,
See a slow light across the Stygian tide,
And hear the Dead about me stir, unknowing,
And tremble. And I shall know that you have died,

And watch you, a broad-browed and smiling dream,
Pass, light as ever, through the lightless host,
Quietly ponder, start, and sway, and gleam --
Most individual and bewildering ghost! --

And turn, and toss your brown delightful head
Amusedly, among the ancient Dead.

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Comments1
  • treptpar000

    Just read "Sonnet: Oh! Death will find me, long before I tire" and it really struck a chord with me. The line "And I shall know that you have died," gripped my heart while the rest of the verse painted a bittersweet afterlife. Fascinating mingling of dread, melancholy, and the soothing calmness of acceptance. 👏👻🍂