How Often

Benjamin Franklin King 1857 (St. Joseph, Michigan) – 1894 (Bowling Green, Kentucky)



They stood on the bridge at midnight,
     In a park not far from town;
   They stood on the bridge at midnight
     Because they didn't sit down.
   The moon rose o'er the city
     Behind the dark church spire;
   The moon rose o'er the city
     And kept on rising higher.
   How often, oh! how often
    They whispered words so soft;
  How often, oh! how often,
    How often, oh! how oft.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

21 sec read
98

Quick analysis:

Scheme AbAbCdCeFgFh
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 390
Words 70
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

Benjamin Franklin King

Benjamin Franklin King Jr. was an American humorist and poet whose work published under the names Ben King or the pseudonym Bow Hackley achieved notability in his lifetime and afterwards. According to a short biography by Opie Read, as a child he was reputed a piano prodigy; in adult life he was by many deemed a failure for his lack of business instinct. But as "a poet, a gentle satirist and a humorist of the highest order, he achieved notability" in his short life for a series of newspaper published poems. more…

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