Analysis of Vies Manquees

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



A YEAR ago we walked the wood--
A year ago to-day;
A blackbird fluttered round her brood
Deep in the white-flowered may.

We trod the happy woodland ways,
Where sunset streamed between
The hazel stems in long dusk rays,
And turned to gold the green.

A thrush sang where the ferns uncurled,
And clouds of wind-flowers grew:
I missed the meaning of the world
From lack of love for you.

You missed the beauty of the year,
And failed its self to see,
Through too much doubt and too much fear,
And too much love of me.

This year we hear the birds' glad strain,
Again the sunset glows,
We walk the wild wet woods again,
Again the wind-flower blows.

In cloudy white the falling may
Drifts down the scented wind,
And so the secret drifts away
Which we shall never find.

Our drifted spirits are not free
Spring's secret springs to touch,
For now you do not care for me,
And I love you too much.


Scheme ABXB CDCD AEXE FGFG XHXH BIBI GJGJ
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 01011101 010111 01010101 1001101 1101011 11101 01010111 011101 0111011 0111101 11010101 111111 11010101 011111 11110111 011111 11110111 01011 11011101 0101101 01010101 110101 01010101 111101 101010111 110111 11111111 011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 892
Words 169
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 98
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
130

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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