A Maypole Poem by Jonathan Swift

A Maypole

Rating: 3.0


Deprived of root, and branch and rind,
Yet flowers I bear of every kind:
And such is my prolific power,
They bloom in less than half an hour;
Yet standers-by may plainly see
They get no nourishment from me.
My head with giddiness goes round,
And yet I firmly stand my ground:
All over naked I am seen,
And painted like an Indian queen.
No couple-beggar in the land
E'er joined such numbers hand in hand.
I joined them fairly with a ring;
Nor can our parson blame the thing.
And though no marriage words are spoke,
They part not till the ring is broke;
Yet hypocrite fanatics cry,
I'm but an idol raised on high;
And once a weaver in our town,
A damned Cromwellian, knocked me down.
I lay a prisoner twenty years,
And then the jovial cavaliers
To their old post restored all three -
I mean the church, the king, and me.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Edward Kofi Louis 31 March 2017

May plainly see! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

2 2 Reply
Douglas Scotney 31 March 2017

a poet of great wit and mirth; yet I'm not up on his girth.

3 0 Reply
doug scotney 31 March 2020

can't get my arms around its girth

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Joshua Adeyemi 31 March 2017

Intriguing and fabulous. Great job done!

2 1 Reply
Dr Antony Theodore 31 March 2020

Deprived of root, and branch and rind, Yet flowers I bear of every kind: And such is my prolific power, They bloom in less than half an hour. beautiful. tony

1 0 Reply
Shaun Cronick 31 March 2020

Edifying and captivating rhyming diction by Mr Swift. Superbly constructed and delivered. A worthy poem of the day.

2 0 Reply
Dominic Windram 31 March 2020

I completely agree with your excellent comments...a wonderfully incisive poem about dour Puritanism methinks.

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Bernard F. Asuncion 31 March 2019

One of the best poems by Jonathan Swift........

2 0 Reply
Chan Mongol 31 March 2019

Love the poetic language of yours. Beautifully constructed. A nice choice of the Poemhunter.com and mine too! Thanks for sharing.

2 0 Reply

I lay a prisoner twenty years, And then the jovial cavaliers To their old post restored all three - I mean the church, the king, and me.

2 0 Reply
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