Analysis of The Cross-Roads
Henry Lawson 1867 (Grenfell) – 1922 (Sydney)
Once more I write a line to you,
While darker shadows fall;
Dear friends of mine who have been true,
And steadfast through it all.
If I have written bitter rhymes,
With many lines that halt,
And if I have been false at times
It was not all my fault.
To Heaven’s decree I would not bow,
And I sank very low—
The bitter things are written now,
And we must let them go.
But I feel softened as I write;
The better spirit springs,
And I am very sad to-night
Because of many things.
The friendships that I have abused,
The trust I did betray,
The talents that I have misused,
The gifts I threw away.
The things that did me little good,
And—well my cheeks might burn—
The kindly letters that I should
Have answered by return.
But you might deem them answered now,
And answered from my heart;
And injured friends will understand
’Tis I who feel the smart.
But I have done with barren strife
And dark imaginings,
And in my future work and life
Will seek the better things.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH IJIJKLKL EMXMNCNH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 11011 11111111 01111 11110101 110111 01111111 111111 110011111 011101 01011101 011111 11110111 010101 01110111 011101 01011101 011101 01011101 011101 01111101 011111 01010111 110101 11111101 010111 0101101 111101 11111101 011 00110101 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 953 |
Words | 186 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 188 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 46 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 55 sec read
- 127 Views
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