Analysis of The Separation

Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)



We knew too little of the world,
And you and I were good—
’Twas paltry things that wrecked our lives
As well I knew they would.
The people said our love was dead,
But how were they to know?
Ah! had we loved each other less
We’d not have quarrelled so.
We knew too little of the world,
And you and I were kind,
We listened to what others said
And both of us were blind.
The people said ’twas selfishness,
But how were they to know?
Ah! had we both more selfish been
We’d not have parted so.

But still when all seems lost on earth
Then heaven sets a sign—
Kneel down beside your lonely bed,
And I will kneel by mine,
And let us pray for happy days—
Like those of long ago.
Ah! had we knelt together then
We’d not have parted so.


Scheme AbxbcDxdAecexDxD xfcfxdxD
Poetic Form
Metre 11110101 010101 110111101 111111 010110111 110111 11111101 11111 11110101 010101 11011101 011101 01011100 110111 11111101 111101 11111111 110101 11011101 011111 01111101 111101 11110101 111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 729
Words 149
Sentences 12
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 16, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 277
Words per stanza (avg) 74
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

44 sec read
108

Henry Lawson

Henry Lawson 17 June 1867 - 2 September 1922 was an Australian writer and poet Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period more…

All Henry Lawson poems | Henry Lawson Books

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