Time & Brevity

The Thing unplanned

by Thomas Hardy 1840–1928

From Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs and Trifles (1925)

Time & Brevity

The white winter sun struck its stroke on the bridge,
The meadow-rills rippled and gleamed
As I left the thatched post-office, just by the ridge,
And dropped in my pocket her long tender letter,
With: “This must be snapped! it is more than it seemed;
And now is the opportune time!”

But against what I willed worked the surging sublime
Of the thing that I did — the thing better!

MLA

Hardy, Thomas. “The Thing unplanned.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/618/.

Chicago

Hardy, Thomas. “The Thing unplanned.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hardy/618/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Thomas Hardy