Analysis of The Woman and the Wife
Edwin Arlington Robinson 1869 – 1935
"You thought we knew," she said, "but we were wrong.
This we can say, the rest we do not say;
Nor do I let you throw yourself away
Because you love me. Let us both be strong,
And we shall find in sorrow, before long,
Only the price Love ruled that we should pay:
The dark is the end of every day,
And silence is the end of every song.
"You ask me for one more proof that I speak right,
But I can answer only what I know;
You look for just one lie to make black white,
But I can tell you only what is true--
God never made me for the wife of you.
This we can say,--believe me! . . . Tell me so!"
"Give me the truth, whatever it may be.
You thought we knew, but now tell me what you miss:
You are the one to tell me what it is--
You are a man, and you have married me.
What is it worth to-night that you can see
More marriage in the dream of one dead kiss
Than in a thousand years of life like this?
Passion has turned the lock. Pride keeps the key.
"Whatever I have said or left unsaid,
Whatever I have done or left undone,--
Tell me. Tell me the truth . . . Are you afraid?
Do you think that Love was ever fed with lies
But hunger lived thereafter in his eyes?
Do you ask me to take moonlight for the sun?"
Scheme | ABBAABBA CDCEED FGXFFGGF XHXIIH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111101 1111011111 1111110101 0111111111 0111010011 1001111111 0110111001 01010111001 11111111111 1111010111 1111111111 1111110111 1101110111 1111011111 110110111 11111111111 1101111111 1101011101 1111111111 1100011111 1001011111 1011011101 101111101 101111101 1111011101 11111110111 1101010011 1111111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,248 |
Words | 260 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 6, 8, 6 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 224 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 64 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 09, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 126 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Woman and the Wife" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10080/the-woman-and-the-wife>.
Discuss this Edwin Arlington Robinson poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In