Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

---

    I want more lives in which to love
         This world so full of beauty,
    I want more days to use the ways
         I know of doing duty;
    I ask no greater joy than this
         (So much I am life's lover),
    When I reach age to turn the page
         And read the story over.
         (O love, stay near!)

    O rapturous promise of the Spring!
         O June fulfilling after!
    If Autumns sigh, when Summers die,
         'Tis drowned in Winter's laughter.
    O maiden dawns, O wifely noons,
         O siren sweet, sweet nights,
    I'd want no heaven could earth be given
         Again with its delights
         (If love stayed near).

    There are such glories for the eye,
         Such pleasures for the ear,
    The senses reel with all they feel
         And see and taste and hear;
    There are such ways of doing good,
         Such ways of being kind,
    And bread that's cast on waters fast
         Comes home again, I find.
         (O love, stay near.)

    There are such royal souls to know,
         There is so much to learn,
    While secrets rest in Nature's breast
         And unnamed stars still burn.
    God toiled six days to make this earth,
         I think the good folks say -
    Six lives we need to give full meed
         Of praise -one for each day
         (If love stay near).

    But oh! if love fled far away,
         Or veiled his face from me,
    One life too much, why then were such
         A life as this would be.
    With sullen May and blighted June,
         Blurred dawn and haggard night,
    This dear old world in space were hurled
         If love lent not his light.
         (O love, stay near!)

---

Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem is a soulful piece that magnificently captures the poet's reverence for life and love. Its central theme is the profound appreciation for the myriad experiences that life offers, intensified by the constant presence of love. The tone is one of longing and deep gratitude, which resonates with the reader.

The structure is marked by consistent repetition of the plea, "O love, stay near!" at the end of each stanza, functioning as a refrain. This repetition emphasizes the significance of love as a guiding force in the poet's life. The poet also employs vivid imagery to showcase the abundance and variances in life's experiences, from the "rapturous promise of the Spring" to "blurred dawn and haggard night". This imagery is paired with emotive language, like "siren sweet, sweet nights" and "sullen May and blighted June", which enriches the tone and mood of the poem.

The poem is also imbued with the use of metaphors, such as "bread that's cast on waters fast comes home again", suggesting that acts of kindness return to the giver, reinforcing the theme of love and kindness. The poet's reference to the biblical creation story in the penultimate stanza serves as a metaphor for the poet's desire for multiple lives to fully appreciate the world's wonders.

In summary, the poet's evocative language, along with their use of imagery, metaphors, and repetitive structure, creates a powerful ode to life and love that leaves a deep impact on the reader.