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William Morris (1834-1896)

In Prison


              1Wearily, drearily,
              2Half the day long,
              3Flap the great banners
              4High over the stone;
              5Strangely and eerily
              6Sounds the wind's song,
              7Bending the banner-poles.

              8While, all alone,
              9Watching the loophole's spark,
            10Lie I, with life all dark,
            11Feet tether'd, hands fetter'd
            12Fast to the stone,
            13The grim walls, square-letter'd
            14With prison'd men's groan.

            15Still strain the banner-poles
            16Through the wind's song,
            17Westward the banner rolls
            18Over my wrong.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: William Morris, The Defence of Guenevere, and Other Poems (London: Bell and Daldy, 1858). PR 5078 D4 1858 SIGS end M677 D44 1858 Fisher Rare Book Library (Toronto)
First publication date: 1858
RPO poem editor: P. F. Morgan
RP edition: 3RP 3.327.
Recent editing: 2:2002/4/10

Rhyme: irregularly rhyming

Other poems by William Morris

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