The Singer

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



While with Ambition's hectic flame
He wastes the midnight oil,
And dreams, high-throned on heights of fame,
To rest him from his toil,--

Death's Angel, like a vast eclipse,
Above him spreads her wings,
And fans the embers of his lips
To ashes as he sings.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

15 sec read
102

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 256
Words 49
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 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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    "The Singer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/21119/the-singer>.

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