Analysis of The Child

Sara Coleridge 1802 (Keswick, Cumberland) – 1852 (London)



See yon blithe child that dances in our sight!
Can gloomy shadows fall from one so bright?
Fond mother, whence these fears?
While buoyantly he rushes o'er the lawn,
Dream not of clouds to stain his manhood's dawn,
Nor dim that sight with tears.

No cloud he spies in brightly glowing hours,
But feels as if the newly vested bowers
For him could never fade:
Too well we know that vernal pleasures fleet,
But having him, so gladsome, fair, and sweet,
Our loss is overpaid.

Amid the balmiest flowers that earth can give
Some bitter drops distil, and all that live
A mingled portion share;
But, while he learns these truths which we lament,
Such fortitude as ours will sure be sent,
Such solace to his care.


Scheme AAXBBX CCDEED XXFGGF
Poetic Form
Metre 11111100101 110111111 110111 111101001 111111111 111111 11110101010 11110101010 111101 1111110101 110111101 1011101 0101101111 1101010111 010101 1111111101 1101101111 110111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 695
Words 129
Sentences 7
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 31
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 184
Words per stanza (avg) 42
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
33

Sara Coleridge

Sara Coleridge was an English author and translator. She was the third child, out of four, and only daughter of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his wife Sara Fricker. more…

All Sara Coleridge poems | Sara Coleridge Books

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