Analysis of The Temptation

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



YOU bring your love too late, dear, I have no love to buy it,
I spent my love on worthless toys, at fairs you do not know;
I am a bankrupt trader--dear eyes, do not deny it,
I could have bought your love, dear, but that was long ago.

My soul has left me widowed, my heart has made me orphan,
Leave me--all good things, dear, have left me--leave me too!
For here is ice no tears of yours, no smiles of yours can soften:
Leave me, leave me, leave me, I have no love for you!

I have no flowers to give you, they grow not in my garden;
I have no songs to sing you, my songs have all been sung;
I have no hope of heaven, no faith in any pardon,
I might have loved you once, dear, when I was good and young.

I will not steal, nor cheat you; take back the heart you lent me.
O God, whom I have outraged, now teach me how to pray,
That love come never again so near me to torment me,
Lest I be found less faithful than, by Thy grace, to-day.


Scheme ABAB CDCD CECE FGFG
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11111111111111 11111101111111 11010101111011 1111111111101 11111101111110 111111111111 111111111111110 111111111111 111101111110110 1111111111111 11111101101010 1111111111101 11111111101111 111111111111 1111001111111 1111110111111
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 926
Words 197
Sentences 7
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 43
Words per line (avg) 12
Letters per stanza (avg) 173
Words per stanza (avg) 49
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

59 sec read
114

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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