Analysis of Let Me Lean Hard

Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919



Let me lean hard upon the Eternal Breast;
In all earth's devious ways, I sought for rest
And found it not. I will be strong, said I,
And lean upon myself. I will not cry
And importune all heaven with my complaint,
But not my strength fails, and I fall, I faint:
Let me lean hard.

Let me lean hard upon the unfailing Arm.
I said I will walk on, I fear no harm,
The spark divine within my soul will show
The upward pathway where my feet should go,
But now the heights to which I msot aspire
Are lost in clouds. I stumble and I tire;
Let me lean hard.

Let me lean harder yet. That swerveless force
Which speeds the solar systems on their course
Can take, unfelt, the burden of my woe,
Which bears me to the dust and hurts me so;
I thought my strength enough for any fate,
But lo! I sink beneath my sorrow's weight:
Let me lean hard.


Scheme aabbccD eeffxxD ggffhhD
Poetic Form
Metre 11110100101 01110011111 0111111111 010111111 011101101 1111101111 1111 11110100101 1111111111 0101011111 010111111 1101111101 11011100110 1111 111101111 1101010111 111010111 1111010111 1111011101 111101111 1111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 817
Words 168
Sentences 10
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 7, 7
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 30
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 212
Words per stanza (avg) 55
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
125

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ella Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. more…

All Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems | Ella Wheeler Wilcox Books

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