Analysis of At an Old Drawer
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
Before this scarf was faded,
What hours of mirth it knew;
How gayly it paraded
From smiling eyes to view.
The days were tinged with glory,
The nights too quickly sped,
And life was like a story
Where all the people wed.
Before this rosebud wilted,
How passionately sweet
The wild waltz smelled and lilted
In time for flying feet;
How loud the bassoons muttered,
The horns grew madly shrill,
And oh! the vows lips uttered
That hearts could not fulfill.
Before this fan was broken,
Behind its lace and pearl
What whispered words were spoken,
What hearts were in a whirl;
What homesteads were selected
In Fancy's realm of Spain,
What castles were erected
Without a room for pain.
When this odd glove was mated,
How thrilling seemed the play;
Maybe our hearts are sated--
We tire so soon to-day.
O, thrust away these treasures,
They speak the dreary truth;
We have outgrown the pleasures
And keen delights of youth.
Scheme | ABCBDEDE CFAFGHGH IJIJAKAK CLCLMNMN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111110 1101111 111010 110111 0101110 011101 0111010 110101 0111010 110001 011101 011101 110110 011101 0101110 111101 0111110 011101 1101010 110001 110010 01111 1100010 010111 1111110 110101 10101110 1101111 1101110 110101 111010 010111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 916 |
Words | 163 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 181 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 71 Views
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"At an Old Drawer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10534/at-an-old-drawer>.
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