Fairest Maid on Devon Banks
written in 1795
Fairest Maid on Devon Banks - meaning Summary
Plea for Returned Affection
This short lyric presents a speaker pleading with a beloved on the banks of the River Devon to abandon a sullen mood and resume her customary smile. The repeated address and refrain create a pleading, musical tone as the speaker insists on his faithful devotion and promises exclusive love if she relents. Nature imagery—Crystal Devon, winding Devon—frames the scene but mainly supports the emotional appeal rather than describing landscape. The poem is a straightforward declaration of romantic yearning and an attempt to restore harmony through admission of fidelity and gentle entreaty.
Read Complete AnalysesFairest Maid on Devon banks, Crystal Devon, winding Devon, Wilt thou lay that frown aside, And smile as thou wert wont to do. Full well thou knowest I love thee dear, Couldst thou to malice lend an ear! O did not Love exclaim, 'Forbear, 'Nor use a faithful lover so.' Fairest Maid on Devon banks, Crystal Devon, winding Devon, Wilt thou lay that frown aside, And smile as thou wert wont to do. Then come, thou fairest of the fair, Those wonted smiles O let me share; And by thy beauteous self I swear, No love but thine my heart shall know.
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