Analysis of A Lost Angel

Ellis Parker Butler 1869 (Muscatine) – 1937 (Williamsville)



When first we met she seemed so white
I feared her;
As one might near a spirit bright
I neared her;
An angel pure from heaven above
I dreamed her,
And far too good for human love
I deemed her.
A spirit free from mortal taint
I thought her,
And incense as unto a saint
I brought her.

Well, incense burning did not seem
To please her,
And insolence I feared she’d deem
To squeeze her;
Nor did I dare for that same why
To kiss her,
Lest, shocked, she’d cause my eager eye
To miss her.
I sickened thinking of some way
To win her,
When lo! she asked me, one fine day,
To dinner!

Twas thus that made of common flesh
I found her,
And in a mortal lover’s mesh
I wound her.
Embraces, kisses, loving looks
I gave her,
And buying bon-bons, flowers and books,
I save her;
For her few honest, human taints
I love her,
Nor would I change for all the saints
Above her
Those eyes, that little face, that so
Endear her,
And all the human joy I know
When near her;
And I am glad, when to my breast
I press her,
She’s just a woman, like the rest,
God bless her!


Scheme ABABCBCBDBDB EBEBFBFBGBGB HBHBIBIBJBJBKBKBLBLB
Poetic Form
Metre 11111111 110 11110101 110 110111001 110 01111101 110 01011101 110 00111001 110 10110111 110 01001111 110 11111111 110 11111101 110 11010111 110 11111111 110 11111101 110 00010101 110 01010101 110 010111001 110 10110101 110 11111101 010 11110111 010 01010111 110 01111111 110 11010101 110
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,015
Words 212
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 12, 12, 20
Lines Amount 44
Letters per line (avg) 18
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 264
Words per stanza (avg) 70
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:03 min read
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Ellis Parker Butler

Ellis Parker Butler was an American author. more…

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