Analysis of A Meeting

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



Quite carelessly I turned the newsy sheet;
A song I sang, full many a year ago,
Smiled up at me, as in a busy street
One meets an old-time friend he used to know.
So full it was, that simple little song,
Of all the hope, the transport, and the truth,
Which to the impetuous morn of life belong,
That once again I seemed to grasp my youth.
So full it was of that sweet, fancied pain
We woo and cherish ere we meet with woe,
I felt as one who hears a plaintive strain
His mother sang him in the long ago.
Up from the grave the years that lay between
That song's birthday and my stern present came
Like phantom forms and swept across the scene,
Bearing their broken dreams of love and fame.
Fair hopes and bright ambitions that I knew
In that old time, with their ideal grace,
Shone for a moment, then were lost to view
Behind the dull clouds of the commonplace.
With trembling hands I put the sheet away;
Ah, little song! the sad and bitter truth
Struck like an arrow when we met that day!
My life has missed the promise of its youth.


Scheme ABABCDCDEBEBFGFGHIHIJDJD
Poetic Form
Metre 1100110101 01111100101 1111100101 1111111111 1111110101 1101001001 11001011101 1101111111 1111111101 1101011111 1111110101 1101100101 1101011101 111011101 1101010101 1011011101 1101010111 011111011 1101010111 010111010 11001110101 1101010101 1111011111 1111010111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,017
Words 204
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 803
Words per stanza (avg) 202
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 31, 2023

1:01 min read
105

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

2 fans

Discuss this Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "A Meeting" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10492/a-meeting>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Ella Wheeler Wilcox

    »

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    19
    hours
    35
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem in which the first letters of each line spell a word is called _______.
    A a sestina
    B an ode
    C a haiku
    D an acrostic