Analysis of Despair

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



SMILE on me, mouth of red--so much too red,
Shine on me, eyes which darkened lashes shade,
Turn, turn my way, oh glorious golden head,
My soul is lost, then let the price be paid!
Amid rich flowers your rosy lamplight gleams,
Amid rich hangings pass your scented hours,
And woods and fields are green but in my dreams,
And only in my dreams grow meadow-flowers.

I have forgotten everything but you--
The apple orchard where the whitethroat sings,
The quiet fields, the moonlight, and the dew,
The virgin's bower that in wet hedgerow clings.
I have forgotten how the cool grass waves
Where clean winds blow, and where good women pray
For happy, honest men, safe in their graves;
And--oh, my God! I would I were as they!


Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH
Poetic Form Traditional rhyme
Metre 1111111111 1111110101 11111100101 1111110111 0111011011 01110111010 0101111011 0100111110 110101011 010101011 010101001 0101010111 1101010111 1111011101 1101011011 0111111011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 711
Words 131
Sentences 6
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 279
Words per stanza (avg) 65
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
53

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

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