Analysis of Youth And Age. (Sonnet III.)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)



Oh give me back the days when loose and free
To my blind passion were the curb and rein,
Oh give me back the angelic face again,
With which all virtue buried seems to be!
Oh give my panting footsteps back to me,
That are in age so slow and fraught with pain,
And fire and moisture in the heart and brain,
If thou wouldst have me burn and weep for thee!
If it be true thou livest alone, Amor,
On the sweet-bitter tears of human hearts,
In an old man thou canst not wake desire;
Souls that have almost reached the other shore
Of a diviner love should feel the darts,
And be as tinder to a holier fire.


Scheme ABCAABBADEDFED
Poetic Form
Metre 1111011101 1111000101 1111010101 1111010111 111101111 1101110111 01001000101 1111110111 1111110110 1011011101 01111111010 111110101 10111101 011101010010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 594
Words 122
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 466
Words per stanza (avg) 120
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
127

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. more…

All Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Books

18 fans

Discuss this Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Youth And Age. (Sonnet III.)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19019/youth-and-age.-%28sonnet-iii.%29>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    20
    hours
    19
    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?

    »
    Who wrote the poem One Art?
    A Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Elizabeth Bishop
    D E. E. Cummings