Analysis of New Year's Morning
Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)
Only a night from old to new!
Only a night, and so much wrought!
The Old Year's heart all weary grew,
But said: The New Year rest has brought."
The Old Year's hopes its heart laid down,
As in a grave; but trusting, said:
"The blossoms of the New Year's crown
Bloom from the ashes of the dead."
The Old Year's heart was full of greed;
With selfishness it longed and ached,
And cried: "I have not half I need.
My thirst is bitter and unslaked.
But to the New Year's generous hand
All gifts in plenty shall return;
True love it shall understand;
By all y failures it shall learn.
I have been reckless; it shall be
Quiet and calm and pure of life.
I was a slave; it shall go free,
And find sweet pace where I leave strife."
Only a night from old to new!
Never a night such changes brought.
The Old Year had its work to do;
No New Year miracles are wrought.
Always a night from old to new!
Night and the healing balm of sleep!
Each morn is New Year's morn come true,
Morn of a festival to keep.
All nights are sacred nights to make
Confession and resolve and prayer;
All days are sacred days to wake
New gladness in the sunny air.
Only a night from old to new;
Only a sleep from night to morn.
The new is but the old coem true;
Each sunrise sees a new year born.
Scheme | Ababcdcdexebfgfghihi Abab ajajklklAmam |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10011111 10010111 01111101 11011111 01111111 10011101 01010111 11010101 01111111 11001101 01111111 1111001 110111001 11010101 111101 11110111 11110111 10010111 11011111 01111111 10011111 10011101 01111111 11110011 1011111 10010111 11111111 11010011 11110111 01000101 11110111 1100101 10011111 10011111 01110111 1110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,265 |
Words | 255 |
Sentences | 19 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 20, 4, 12 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 320 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 83 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 117 Views
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"New Year's Morning" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17074/new-year%27s-morning>.
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