Analysis of Via Amoris

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



IT is not Love, this beautiful unrest,
This tremor of longing that invades my breast:
For Love is in his grave this many a year,
He will not rise--I do not wish him here.
It is not memory, for your face and eyes
Are not reflected where that dark pool lies:
It is not hope, for life makes no amends,
And hope and I are long no longer friends:
It is a ghost out of another Spring
It needs but little for its comforting--
That I should hold your hand and see your face
And muse a little in this quiet place,
Where, through the silence, I can hear you sigh
And feel you sadden, O Virgin Mystery,
And know my thought has in your thought begot
Sadness, its child, and that you know it not.

If this were Love, if all this bitter pain
Were but the birth-pang of Love born again,
If through the doubts and dreams resolved, smiled
The prophetic promise of the holy child,
What should I gain? The Love whose dream-lips smiled
Could never be my own and only child,
But to Love's birth would come, with the last pain,
Renunciation, also born again.

If this were Love why should I turn away?
Am I not, too, made of the common clay?
Is life so fair, am I so fortunate,
I can refuse the capricious gift of Fate,
The sudden glory, the unhoped-for flowers,
The transfiguration of my earthly hours?

Come, Love! the house is garnished and is swept,
Washed clean with all the tears that I have wept,
Washed from the stain of my unworthy fears,
Hung with the splendid spoils of wasted years,
Lighted with lamps of hope, and curtained fast
Against the gathered darkness of the past.

I draw the bolts! I throw the portals wide,
The darkness rushes shivering to my side,
Love is not here--the darkness creeps about
My house wherein the lamps of hope die out.
Ah Love! it was not then your hand that came
Beating my door? your voice that called my name?

'It is not Love, it is not Love,' I said,
And bowed in fearful hope my trembling head.
'It is not Love, for Love could never rise
Out of the rock-hewn grave wherein he lies.'
But as I spake, the heavenly form drew near
Where close I clasped a hope grown keen as fear,
Upon my head His very hand He laid
And whispered, 'It is I, be not afraid!'

And this is Love, no rose-crowned laughing guest
By whom my passionate heart should be caressed,
But one re-risen from the grave; austere,
Cold as the grave, and infinitely dear,
To follow whom I lay the whole world down,
Take up the cross, bind on the thorny crown;
And, following whom, my bleeding pilgrim feet
Find the rough pathway sure and very sweet.
The august environment of mighty wings
Shuts out the snare of vain imaginings,
For by my side, crowned with Love's death-white rose,
The Angel of Renunciation goes.


Scheme AABXCCDDEEFFXXXX GHIIIIGH JJXXKK LLMMNN OOPPQQ RRCCBBSS AABBTTUUXCVV
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110001 11011010111 11101111001 1111111111 11110011101 1101011111 1111111101 0101111101 1101110101 1111011100 1111110111 0101001101 1101011111 01110110100 0111101101 1011011111 1101111101 0101111101 110101011 00101010101 1111011111 1101110101 1111111011 001010101 1101111101 1111110101 1111111100 11010010111 0101001110 01111010 1101110011 1111011111 1101110101 1101011101 101111011 0101010101 1101110101 01010100111 1111010101 1101011111 1111111111 1011111111 1111111111 01010111001 1111111101 1101110111 11110100111 1111011111 0111110111 0101111101 0111111101 11110011101 1111010101 1101010001 1101110111 1101110101 01001110101 101110101 01001001101 1101111 1111111111 010100101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 2,654
Words 516
Sentences 25
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 16, 8, 6, 6, 6, 8, 12
Lines Amount 62
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 298
Words per stanza (avg) 72
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

2:34 min read
147

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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