Analysis of The Little People
WHO are these strange small folk,
These that come to our homes as kings,
Asking nor leave nor grace,
Bending our necks to their yoke,
Taking the highest place,
And mastery of all things?
Whence they come none may know,
But a wondrous land it must be;
Angels in exile they!
Here in this dull world below
Creatures of sinful clay
We feel near their purity.
Clearer their young eyes are
Than the dew in the cups of flowers
Gleaming, when shines at dawn,
Faintly, the morning’s one star—
Eyes whose still gaze, indrawn,
Sees things unseen by ours.
Deep in those orbs serene—
Little planets be-ringed and bright—
Mysteries marvellous lie:
Known unto us they might mean
Faith, without fear, to die,
All sure of the waiting light.
Dimpled their hands and small—
Would ye, therefore, their might contemn?
Seem they for play designed?
Fate, and the Future withal,
Weal, yea and Woe, of mankind,
Lie hid in the palms of them.
Tyrants, whose terrible names
Make men pale with affright intense,
Worshipping, kiss their feet:
Touch of their little hands tames
Fiercest of hearts that beat—
So mighty is Innocence.
These are the children dear,
From a country unknown of charts:
(Dim Land of Souls Unborn),
Rosy as morn they come here,
Filling with joy forlorn
Waste places in our hearts.
Scheme | ABCACB DEFDFE GHXGDH IJKIKJ XDLKLX MXNMNX XOPXPO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111111 111110111 101111 10101111 100101 0100111 111111 10101111 10011 1011101 101101 1111100 101111 101001110 101111 1001011 11111 1101110 101101 10101101 10011 1101111 101111 1110101 101101 111111 111101 100101 1101111 1100111 1011001 1111101 100111 1111011 101111 1101100 110101 10100111 111111 1011111 101101 1100101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,398 |
Words | 225 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 143 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 32 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:07 min read
- 58 Views
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"The Little People" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37537/the-little-people>.
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