Analysis of Little Nell
GLEAMING through the silent church-yard,
Winter sunlight seemed to shed
Golden shadows like soft blessings
O'er a quiet little bed,
Where a pale face lay unheeding
Tender tears that o'er it fell;
No sorrow now could touch the heart
Of gentle little Nell.
Ah, with what silent patient strength
The frail form lying there
Had borne its heavy load of grief,
Of loneliness and care.
Now, earthly burdens were laid down,
And on the meek young face
There shone a holier loveliness
Than childhood's simple grace.
Beset with sorrow, pain and fear,
Tempted by want and sin,
With none to guide or counsel her
But the brave child-heart within.
Strong in her fearless, faithful love,
Devoted to the last,
Unfaltering through gloom and gleam
The little wanderer passed.
Hand in hand they journeyed on
Through pathways strange and wild,
The gray-haired, feeble, sin-bowed man
Led by the noble child.
So through the world's dark ways she passed,
Till o'er the church-yard sod,
To the quiet spot where they found rest,
Those little feet had trod.
To that last resting-place on earth
Kind voices bid her come,
There her long wanderings found an end,
And weary Nell a home.
A home whose light and joy she was,
Though on her spirit lay
A solemn sense of coming change,
That deepened day by day.
There in the church-yard, tenderly,
Through quiet summer hours,
Above the poor neglected graves
She planted fragrant flowers.
The dim aisles of the ruined church
Echoed the child's light tread,
And flickering sunbeams thro' the leaves
Shone on her as she read.
And here where a holy silence dwelt,
And golden shadows fell,
When Death's mild face had looked on her,
They laid dear happy Nell.
Long had she wandered o'er the earth,
One hand to the old man given,
By the other angels led her on
Up a sunlit path to Heaven.
Oh! 'patient, loving, noble Nell,'
Like light from sunset skies,
The beauty of thy sinless life
Upon the dark world lies.
On thy sad story, gentle child,
Dim eyes will often dwell,
And loving hearts will cherish long
The memory of Nell.
Scheme | XABA CDXD XEXE XFBF XGHG XIXI JKXK ILXL MXXX XNXN XOXO XAXA XDHD MPJP DQXQ KDCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (88%) |
Metre | 10101011 101111 1011110 10010101 101111 10111011 11011101 110101 11110101 011101 11110111 110001 11010011 010111 1101001 11101 01110101 101101 11111100 1011101 10010101 010101 11101 0101001 1011101 11101 01110111 110101 11011111 1100111 101011111 110111 11110111 110101 101100111 010101 01110111 110101 01011101 110111 10011100 1101010 01010101 1101010 01110101 100111 01001101 110111 011010101 01011 11111110 111101 111101001 11101110 101010101 1011110 11010101 11111 0101111 010111 11110101 111101 01011101 010011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,040 |
Words | 360 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 16 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 64 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 100 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 21, 2023
- 1:50 min read
- 135 Views
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"Little Nell" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26065/little-nell>.
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