Incantation

Elinor Morton Wylie 1885 (Somerville, New Jersey) – 1928 (New York City, New York)



A white well
In a black cave;
A bright shell
In a dark wave.

A white rose
Black brambles hood;
Smooth bright snows
In a dark wood.

A flung white glove
In a dark fight;
A white dove
On a wild black night.

A white door
In a dark lane;
A bright core
To bitter black pain.

A white hand
Waved from dark walls;
In a burnt black land
Bright waterfalls.

A bright spark
Where black ashes are;
In the smothering dark
One white star.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

26 sec read
113

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 425
Words 87
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Elinor Morton Wylie

Elinor Morton Wylie was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensuous poetry." more…

All Elinor Morton Wylie poems | Elinor Morton Wylie Books

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    "Incantation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/10152/incantation>.

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