The Rival

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



I so loved once, when Death came by I hid
   Away my face,
And all my sweetheart's tresses she undid
   To make my hiding-place.

The dread shade passed me thus unheeding; and
   I turned me then
To calm my love -- kiss down her shielding hand
   And comfort her again.

And lo! she answered not: and she did sit
   All fixedly,
With her fair face and the sweet smile of it,
   In love with Death, not me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

24 sec read
382

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB XCXC DXDX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 411
Words 79
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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