Analysis of The Past
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
I fling the past behind me, like a robe
Worn threadbare at the seams, and out of date.
I have outgrown it. Wherefore should I weep
And dwell upon its beauty, and its dyes
Of oriental splendor, or complain
That I must needs discard it? I can weave
Upon the shuttles of the future years
A fabric far more durable. Subdued,
It may be, in the blending of its hues,
Where somber shades commingle, yet the gleam
Of golden warp shall shoot it through and through,
While over all a fadeless luster lies,
And starred with gems made out of crystalled tears,
My new robe shall be richer than the old.
Scheme | ABCDEFGHIJKDLM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101011101 111010111 11111111 0101110011 101010101 1111011111 0101010101 0101110001 1110010111 1101010101 1101111101 110101101 011111111 1111110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 597 |
Words | 113 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 463 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 111 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 111 Views
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"The Past" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10883/the-past>.
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