Analysis of The Bereaved One

Henry Kendall 1839 (Australia) – 1882 (Sydney)



She sleeps—and I see through a shadowy haze,
Where the hopes of the past and the dreams that I cherished
In the sunlight of brighter and happier days,
As the mists of the morning, have faded and perished.
She sleeps—and will waken to bless me no more;
Her life has died out like the gleam on the river,
And the bliss that illumined my bosom of yore
Has fled from its dwelling for ever and ever.
I had thought in this life not to travel alone,
I had hoped for a mate in my joys and my sorrow—
But the face of my idol is colder than stone,
And my path will be lonely without her to-morrow.
I was hoping to bask in the light of her smile
When Fortune and Fame with their laurels had crown’d me—
But the fire in her eyes has been dying the while,
And the thorns of affliction are planted around me.

There are those that may vent all their grief in their tears
And weep till the past is away in the distance;
But this wreck of the dream of my sunshiny years
Will hang like a cloud o’er the rest of existence.
In the depth of my soul she shall ever remain;
My thoughts, like the angels, shall hover about her;
For our hearts have been reft and divided in pain
And what is this world to be left in without her?


Scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGHGH XIXIJDJD
Poetic Form
Metre 11011101001 1011010011110 00111001001 1011010110010 11011011111 011111011010 001101011011 111110110010 111011111001 1111010110110 101111011011 0111110010110 111011001101 110011110111 1010001111001 0011010110011 111111111011 011011010010 11110111101 111011011010 001111111001 111010110010 1101111001001 011111110010
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,202
Words 242
Sentences 7
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 16, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 39
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 469
Words per stanza (avg) 120
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:12 min read
73

Henry Kendall

Thomas Henry Kendall was a nineteenth-century Australian author and bush poet, who was particularly known for his poems and tales set in a natural environment setting. more…

All Henry Kendall poems | Henry Kendall Books

1 fan

Discuss this Henry Kendall poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Bereaved One" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17575/the-bereaved-one>.

    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
    11
    hours
    16
    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?

    »
    Sonnets were first introduced to England by?
    A Petrarch
    B Sir Thomas Wyatt
    C William Shakespeare
    D William Wordsworth