Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

Upon the Loss of His Mistresses

by Robert Herrick

I have lost, and lately, these

Many dainty mistresses: —

Stately Julia, prime of all;

Sapho next, a principal:

Smooth Anthea, for a skin

White, and heaven-like crystalline:

Sweet Electra, and the choice

Myrha, for the lute and voice.

Next, Corinna, for her wit,

And the graceful use of it;

With Perilla: — All are gone;

Only Herrick's left alone,

For to number sorrow by

Their departures hence, and die.

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“Upon the Loss of His Mistresses” by Robert Herrick — quilloak.com/poems/upon-the-loss-of-his-mistresses

Quick facts

Poem: Upon the Loss of His Mistresses
Poet: Robert Herrick
Length: 14 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Death & Loss, Sad, Peace

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 14 lines · one 14-line stanza
Line length: Mostly 7-syllable lines.

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Author record: Robert Herrick1591–1674
Source record: PoetryDBUpon the Loss of His Mistresses by robert-herrick, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 a0c33e55247f18d0…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Death & Loss Sad Peace

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