Analysis of Dramatic Fragment

Henry Timrod 1828 (Charleston) – 1867 (Columbia)



Let the boy have his will!  I tell thee, brother,
We treat these little ones too much like flowers,
Training them, in blind selfishness, to deck
Sticks of our poor setting, when they might,
If left to clamber where themselves incline,
Find nobler props to cling to, fitter place,
And sweeter air to bloom in.  It is wrong --
Thou striv'st to sow with feelings all thine own,
With thoughts and hopes, anxieties and aims,
Born of thine own peculiar self, and fed
Upon a certain round of circumstance,
A soul as different and distinct from thine
As love of goodness is from love of glory,
Or noble poesy from noble prose.
I could forgive thee, if thou wast of them
Who do their fated parts in this world's business,
Scarce knowing how or why -- for common minds
See not the difference 'twixt themselves and others --
But thou, thou, with the visions which thy youth did cherish
Substantialized upon thy regal brow,
Shouldst boast a deeper insight.  We are born,
It is my faith, in miniature completeness,
And like each other only in our weakness.
Even with our mother's milk upon our lips,
Our smiles have different meanings, and our hands
Press with degrees of softness to her bosom.
It is not change -- whatever in the heart
That wears its semblance, we, in looking back,
With gratulation or regret, perceive --
It is not change we undergo, but only
Growth or development.  Yes! what is childhood
But after all a sort of golden daylight,
A beautiful and blessed wealth of sunshine,
Wherein the powers and passions of the soul
Sleep starlike but existent, till the night
Of gathering years shall call the slumbers forth,
And they rise up in glory?  Early grief,
A shadow like the darkness of eclipse,
Hath sometimes waked them sooner.


Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKELMNOPBQRSOOTUVWXYLZDE1 D2 3 TA
Poetic Form
Metre 10111111110 11110111110 1010110011 1110110111 1111010101 1101111101 0101110111 1111110111 1101010001 1111010101 010101110 01110000111 11110111110 11011101 1101111111 11110101110 1101111101 110100101010 1111010111110 1011101 110101111 11110100010 011101001010 1011010101101 1011100100101 11011101010 111110001 1111010101 1110101 1111101110 1101001111 1101011101 010001111 01010010101 111010101 1100111011 0111010101 011010101 1011110
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,702
Words 309
Sentences 11
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 39
Lines Amount 39
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,360
Words per stanza (avg) 312
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:33 min read
109

Henry Timrod

Henry Timrod was an American poet, often called the poet laureate of the Confederacy. more…

All Henry Timrod poems | Henry Timrod Books

0 fans

Discuss this Henry Timrod poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Dramatic Fragment" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/18225/dramatic-fragment>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    28
    days
    20
    hours
    51
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Published in 1954, "Fighting Terms" was the first collection of poems by which poet?
    A Sylvia Plath
    B Philip Larkin
    C Thom Gunn
    D Ted Hughes