Analysis of The Angel of Pain

Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)



Angel of Pain, I think thy face
Will be, in all the heavenly place,
The sweetest face that I shall see,
The swiftest face to smile on me.
All other angels faint and tire;
Joy wearies, and forsakes desire;
Hope falters, face to face with Fate,
And dies because it cannot wait;
And Love cuts short each loving day,
Because fond hearts cannot obey
That subtlest law which measures bliss
By what it is content to miss.
But thou, O loving, faithful Pain-
Hated, reproached, rejected, slain-
Dost only closer cling and bless
In sweeter, stronger steadfastness.
Dear, patient angel, to thine own
Thou comest, and art never known
Till late, in some lone twilight place
The light of thy transfigured face
Sudden shines out, and, speechless, they
Know they have walked with Christ all day.


Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHIJJAAEE
Poetic Form
Metre 10111111 110101001 01011111 01011111 110101010 1101010 11011111 01011101 01111101 01111001 1111101 11111011 11110101 1010101 11010101 0101010 11010111 1101101 1101111 011111 10110101 11111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 766
Words 138
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 22
Lines Amount 22
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 614
Words per stanza (avg) 136
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
48

Helen Hunt Jackson

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske, was an American poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the United States government. more…

All Helen Hunt Jackson poems | Helen Hunt Jackson Books

0 fans

Discuss this Helen Hunt Jackson poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Angel of Pain" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17083/the-angel-of-pain>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    30
    days
    16
    hours
    52
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A long narrative poem that tells the adventures of a heroic figure is called an _______.
    A ballad
    B ode
    C sonnet
    D epic