Analysis of I Love You

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



I love your lips when they're wet with wine
And red with a wild desire;
I love your eyes when the lovelight lies
Lit with a passionate fire.
I love your arms when the warm white flesh
Touches mine in a fond embrace;
I love your hair when the strands enmesh
Your kisses against my face.

Not for me the cold calm kiss
Of a virgin's bloodless love;
Not for me the saint's white bliss,
Nor the heart of a spotless dove.
But give me the love that so freely gives
And laughs at the whole world's blame,
With your body so young and warm in my arms,
It sets my poor heart aflame.

So kiss me sweet with your warm wet mouth,
Still fragrant with ruby wine,
And say with a fervor born of the South
That your body and soul are mine.
Clasp me close in your warm young arms,
While the pale stars shine above,
And we'll live our whole young lives away
In the joys of a living love.


Scheme ABXBCDCD EFEFXGHG IAIAHFXF
Poetic Form
Metre 111111111 01101010 11111011 11010010 111110111 10100101 111110101 1100111 1110111 1010101 1110111 10110101 1110111101 0110111 11101101011 1111101 111111111 1101101 0110101101 11100111 11101111 1011101 0111011101 00110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 873
Words 175
Sentences 7
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 224
Words per stanza (avg) 58
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 28, 2023

54 sec read
127

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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