Analysis of A Little Old Maid
Harriet Monroe 1860 (Chicago) – 1936 (Arequipa)
She grew, like other girls and flowers,
Sheltered and tended daintily;
And told her dolls, through sunny hours,
A prince would come her love to be.
And none denied her as she grew
The kingdom where her prince was lord.
For him she bloomed, and drank the dew
Of youth, and wore the virgin's sword.
From her strong tower of maidenhood
She saw brave men ride east and west;
And dreamed of peace in love's deep wood,
With babies nestling on her breast.
And when no knight her banner bore,
Nor hailed her with love's accolade,
Silent beside her open door
She wondered first, then grew afraid:
Afraid of quickened dust whereof
Life made but phantoms for a show;
Afraid of laughter and of love,
Of God and his unchanging No.
And things the world calls wise and good
She did to bid her fear be still;
Gave largess of her brains and blood,
Chastened her bold, far-wandering will.
But, withering ever at the heart,
She felt her spirit die unborn.
A ghost, she moved on earth apart,
And feared to face the angels' scorn.
Scheme | ABAX CDCD DEFE GHGH IJIJ FBXB KLKL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (86%) |
Metre | 111101010 100101 010111010 01110111 01010111 01010111 11110101 11010101 1011011 11111101 01110111 11010101 01110101 1101110 10010101 11011101 0111011 11110101 01110011 11010101 01011101 11110111 11010101 100111001 110010101 11010111 01111101 01110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,010 |
Words | 187 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 113 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 108 Views
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