Analysis of To an Old Lady in a Train
Alice Duer Miller 1874 (New York) – 1942 (New York)
HER hair was beautifully white
Beneath her bonnet, black as night,
Which, plainly of New England kin,
Was tied with strings beneath her chin.
And when she spoke I had no choice
But listened to that soft crisp voice;
And when she smiled, I saw the truth,
She had been lovely in her youth,
And with those quick, observing eyes,
Was charming still to all the wise.
And still, in spite of bonnet strings,
She thought keen, quaint, amusing things,
With gaiety that many hold
Remarkable in one so old.
We talked ten minutes in a train,
And when we came to part again,
Good-bye, enjoy yourself,' said she,
I told her that ahead of me
No pleasure beckoned, no, I said,
Stern duty only lay ahead!
Oh, well,' her parting answer ran,
Enjoy yourself the best you can.'
And so unconquerably gay,
She went upon her darkening way.
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGG XXHHIIJJKK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 0111001 01010111 11011101 11110101 01111111 11011111 01111101 11110001 01110101 11011101 01011101 11110101 111101 01000111 11110001 01111101 11010111 11010111 11010111 11010101 11010101 01010111 0111 110101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 812 |
Words | 154 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 14, 10 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 315 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 75 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 48 Views
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