Analysis of His Vigil

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



Close the book and dim the light,
I shall read no more to-night.
No--I am not sleepy, dear--
Do not go: sit by me here
In the darkness and the deep
Silence of the watch I keep.
Something in your presence so
Soothes me--as in long ago
I first felt your hand--as now--
In the darkness touch my brow;
I've no other wish than you
Thus should fold mine eyelids to,
Saying nought of sigh or tear--
Just as God were sitting here.


Scheme AABCDDEEFFGGHC
Poetic Form
Metre 1010101 1111111 1111101 1111111 0010001 1010111 1001101 1110101 1111111 0010111 1110111 111111 1011111 1110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 417
Words 85
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 318
Words per stanza (avg) 83
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 13, 2023

25 sec read
392

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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    Repeated use of words for effect and emphasis is called ________.
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