Analysis of My Kingdom
Louisa May Alcott 1832 – 1888
A little kingdom I possess
where thoughts and feelings dwell,
And very hard I find the task
of governing it well;
For passion tempts and troubles me,
A wayward will misleads,
And selfishness its shadow casts
On all my words and deeds.
How can I learn to rule myself,
to be the child I should,
Honest and brave, nor ever tire
Of trying to be good?
How can I keep a sunny soul
To shine along life's way?
How can I tune my little heart
To sweetly sing all day?
Dear Father, help me with the love
that casteth out my fear;
Teach me to lean on thee, and feel
That thou art very near,
That no temptation is unseen
No childish grief too small,
Since thou, with patience infinite,
Doth soothe and comfort all.
I do not ask for any crown
But that which all may win
Nor seek to conquer any world
Except the one within.
Be thou my guide until I find,
Led by a tender hand,
Thy happy kingdom in myself
And dare to take command.
Scheme | XAXAXBXB CDXDXEXE XFXFXGXG XHXHXICI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01010101 110101 01011101 110011 11010101 010101 0100111 111101 1111111 110111 100111010 110111 11110101 110111 11111101 110111 11011101 11111 11111101 111101 11010101 110111 11110100 110101 11111101 111111 11110101 010101 11110111 110101 1101001 011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 923 |
Words | 182 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 178 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 19, 2023
- 54 sec read
- 358 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"My Kingdom" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26071/my-kingdom>.
Discuss this Louisa May Alcott poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In