(23 September 1861 – 25 August 1907)

poet Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
#303 on top 500 poets
Previous Month March 2013 Next Month
Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
28 29 30 31 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Poem of the Day
Select a day from the calendar.
Would you like to see the poem of the day in your e-mail box every morning?
Your email address:
  Subscribe FREE
  Unsubscribe
What do you think this poem is about?

Affection

The earth that made the rose,
She also is thy mother, and not I.
The flame wherewith thy maiden spirit glows
Was lighted at no hearth that I sit by.
I am as far below as heaven above thee.
Were I thine angel, more I could not love thee.

Bid me defend thee!
Thy danger over-human strength shall lend me,
A hand of iron and a heart of steel,
To strike, to wound, to slay, and not to feel.
But if you chide me,
I am a weak, defenceless child beside thee.

Submitted: Tuesday, December 31, 2002


Read poems about / on: angel, strength, rose, child, mother, heaven, heart, children, wind

Comments about this poem (Affection by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge )

Enter the verification code :

  • Hans Vr (3/29/2013 7:21:00 AM)

    Great affection and humility

    1 person liked.
    		0 person did not like.
  • Erica Morgan~maples (2/18/2013 3:11:00 PM)

    i love that poem it has soul, to it

    1 person liked.
    		0 person did not like.
  • Anthony Foster (3/29/2012 1:29:00 PM)

    Loves balance she has said it all,
    and back again a circle of eternity,
    About the strengths and weakness of overwhelming love for someone.

    2 person liked.
    		3 person did not like.
  • Carlos Echeverria (3/29/2012 10:56:00 AM)

    Fabulous rhythm...such a pleasure to read with power-packed, honest feeling.

    1 person liked.
    		3 person did not like.
  • Christopher Cruz (3/29/2012 7:42:00 AM)

    great poem i was touched when reading it

    1 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Kevin Straw (3/29/2010 8:07:00 AM)

    The psychological insight that affection can turn to “a hand of iron” - that love can become tyrannous is true. I could do without the metaphysics of the first verse, and have the second verse start “Affection, bid me defend thee! ” Sometimes, a poem has a kind of 'sighting' at the beginning before it truly begins.

    1 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Adnan Khalifeh (3/29/2010 7:39:00 AM)

    Nice poem.
    Dear friends,
    I have read your comments regarding this poem.
    I like to read your comments on my poem too (I give-up) .
    Best Regards,
    Adnan.

    1 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • JOSEPH POEWHIT (3/29/2010 4:58:00 AM)

    Really captures the heights and depths of the spirit.

    1 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Qhalis Kaiyisha (3/29/2010 2:57:00 AM)

    What a beautiful poem about strength and weakness

    1 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
  • Ramesh T A (3/29/2010 2:10:00 AM)

    Beautiful poem telling about the strength and weakness of a loving soul is interesting to read!

    2 person liked.
    		5 person did not like.
Read all 17 comments »

PoemHunter.com Updates

Top 500 Poems

  1. Phenomenal Woman
    Maya Angelou
  2. The Road Not Taken
    Robert Frost
  3. If You Forget Me
    Pablo Neruda
  4. Still I Rise
    Maya Angelou
  5. Dreams
    Langston Hughes
  6. Annabel Lee
    Edgar Allan Poe
  7. If
    Rudyard Kipling
  8. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
    Robert Frost
  9. Invictus
    William Ernest Henley
  10. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Maya Angelou
The Complete List of Top 500 Poems »
[Hata Bildir]