Analysis of Regret
Robert William Service 1874 – 1958
It's not for laws I've broken
That bitter tears I've wept,
But solemn vows I've spoken
And promises unkept;
It's not for sins committed
My heart is full of rue,
but gentle acts omitted,
Kind deeds I did not do.
I have outlived the blindness,
The selfishness of youth;
The canker of unkindness,
The cruelty of truth;
The searing hurt of rudeness . . .
By mercies great and small,
I've come to reckon goodness
The greatest gift of all.
Let us be helpful ever
to those who are in need,
And each new day endeavour
To do some gentle deed;
For faults beyond our grieving,
What kindliness atone;
On earth by love achieving
A Heaven of our own.
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFEGEG HIHIJKJK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110 110111 1101110 01001 1111010 111111 1101010 111111 111010 010011 01011 01011 0101110 110101 1111010 010111 1111010 111101 0111010 111101 11011010 1101 1111010 0101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 621 |
Words | 118 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 164 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 17, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 251 Views
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"Regret" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/32389/regret>.
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