Analysis of Good Part, That Shall Not Be Taken Away, The

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)



She dwells by Great Kenhawa's side,
  In valleys green and cool;
And all her hope and all her pride
  Are in the village school.

Her soul, like the transparent air
  That robes the hills above,
Though not of earth, encircles there
  All things with arms of love.

And thus she walks among her girls
  With praise and mild rebukes;
Subduing e'en rude village churls
  By her angelic looks.

She reads to them at eventide
  Of One who came to save;
To cast the captive's chains aside
  And liberate the slave.

And oft the blessed time foretells
  When all men shall be free;
And musical, as silver bells,
  Their falling chains shall be.

And following her beloved Lord,
  In decent poverty,
She makes her life one sweet record
  And deed of charity.

For she was rich, and gave up all
  To break the iron bands
Of those who waited in her hall,
  And labored in her lands.

Long since beyond the Southern Sea
  Their outbound sails have sped,
While she, in meek humility,
  Now earns her daily bread.

It is their prayers, which never cease,
  That clothe her with such grace;
Their blessing is the light of peace
  That shines upon her face.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EXEX AFAF EGXG HGHG IJIJ GKGK LMLM
Poetic Form Quatrain  (89%)
Metre 111111 010101 01010101 100101 01100101 110101 111111 111111 01110101 110101 010111101 10101 111111 111111 1101101 01001 010111 111111 01001101 110111 01000011 010100 11011101 011100 11110111 110101 11110001 010001 11010101 11111 11010100 110101 11111101 110111 11010111 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,107
Words 204
Sentences 10
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 36
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 96
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
101

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. more…

All Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Books

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    Who wrote the poem "No Man Is An Island"?
    A Ezra Pound
    B Robert Browning
    C John Donne
    D Henry Wadsworth Longfellow