Analysis of Mummy Wheat

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



LAID close to Death, these many thousand years,
In this small seed Life hid herself and smiled;
So well she hid, Death was at least beguiled,
Set free the grain--and lo! the sevenfold ears!

Warmed by the sun, wooed by the wind's soft word,
Under blue canopy they hold their state:
For this, ah, was it not worth while to wait
Through all the centuries of hope deferred?

What could they know who laid the seed with Death
Of this Divine fruition fixed and planned?
Love--since Life parts us--lend my hand your hand
And look with me into the eyes of faith.

For here between your hand and mine there lies
A little seed we trust to Death to keep
Through unimagined centuries of sleep
Until the day when Life shall bid it rise.

Our harvest waits us. Who knows where or how,
What worlds away, wrapped in what coil of pain?
But Life shall bid us pluck gold sevenfold grain
Grown from the love she bids us bury now.


Scheme ABBA CDDC XEEX FGGF HIIH
Poetic Form Quatrain  (80%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1111110101 0111110101 1111111101 1101010101 1101110111 1011001111 1111111111 1101001101 1111110111 1101010101 1111111111 0111010111 1101110111 0101111111 101010011 0101111111 10101111111 1101101111 1111111101 1101111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 895
Words 172
Sentences 10
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 142
Words per stanza (avg) 34
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
132

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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