{
 "id": "matthew-arnold/a-modern-sappho",
 "title": "A Modern Sappho",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "Matthew Arnold",
 "poet_slug": "matthew-arnold",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems",
 "book_slug": "the-strayed-reveller",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 6,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1849,
  "venue": "The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems (1849)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/strayedrevellero00arno"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/matthew-arnold_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27739",
   "https://archive.org/details/poemsofmatthewar00arnouoft",
   "https://archive.org/details/poeticalworksofm00arn",
   "https://archive.org/details/inmemoriamawrea00marsgoog"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-12"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 40,
  "n_stanzas": 10,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 64,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "They are gone: all is still: Foolish heart, dost thou quiver?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Nothing stirs on the lawn but the quick lilac shade.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Far up gleams the house, and beneath flows the river.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Here lean, my head, on this cold balustrade.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Ere he come: ere the boat, by the shining-branch’d border",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of dark elms come round, dropping down the proud stream,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Let me pause, let me strive, in myself make some order,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Ere their boat-music sound, ere their broider’d flags gleam.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Is it hope makes me linger? the dim thought, that sorrow",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Means parting? that only in absence lies pain?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It was well with me once if I saw him: to-morrow",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "May bring one of the old happy moments again.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Last night we stood earnestly talking together⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "She enter’d⁠—that moment his eyes turn’d from me.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Fasten’d on her dark hair and her wreath of white heather⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "As yesterday was, so to-morrow will be.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Their love, let me know, must grow strong and yet stronger,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Their passion burn more, ere it ceases to burn:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "They must love⁠—while they must: But the hearts that love longer",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Are rare: ah! most loves but flow once, and return.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "I shall suffer; but they will outlive their affection:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I shall weep; but their love will be cooling: and he,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "As he drifts to fatigue, discontent, and dejection,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Will be brought, thou poor heart! how much nearer to thee!",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "For cold is his eye to mere beauty, who, breaking",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The strong band which beauty around him hath furl’d,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Disenchanted by habit, and newly awaking,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Looks languidly round on a gloom-buried world.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Through that gloom he will see but a shadow appearing,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Perceive but a voice as I come to his side:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But deeper their voice grows, and nobler their bearing,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Whose youth in the fires of anguish hath died.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then⁠—to wait. But what notes down the wind, hark! are driving?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "’Tis he! ’tis the boat, shooting round by the trees!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Let my turn, if it will come, be swift in arriving!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Ah! hope cannot long lighten torments like these.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Hast thou yet dealt him, O Life, thy full measure?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "World, have thy children yet bow’d at his knee?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Hast thou with myrtle-leaf crown’d him, O Pleasure?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Crown, crown him quickly, and leave him for me.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}