Analysis of The Ghost

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



NOW that the curtains are drawn close
Now that the fire burns low,
And on her narrow bed the rose
Is stark laid out in snow;
Now that the wind of winter blows
Bid my heart say if still it knows
The step it used to know.

I hear the silken gown you wear
Sweep on the gallery floor,
Your step comes up the wide, dark stair
And pauses at my door.
My heart with the old hope flowers fair--
That shrivels to the old despair,
For you come in no more!


Scheme XABABBA CDCDCCD
Poetic Form
Metre 11010111 1101011 01010101 111101 11011101 11111111 011111 11010111 1101001 11110111 010111 111011101 1110101 111011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 451
Words 94
Sentences 4
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 7, 7
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 171
Words per stanza (avg) 46
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
119

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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