Analysis of A Christmas Carol

Christina Rossetti 1830 (London) – 1894 (London)



The Shepherds had an Angel,
The Wise Men had a star,
But what have I, a little child,
     To guide me home from far,
Where glad stars sing together
     And singing angels are?

Those Shepherds through the lonely night
     Sat watching by their sheep,
Until they saw the heavenly host
     Who neither tire nor sleep,
All singing “Glory, glory,”
     In festival they keep.

The Wise Men left their country
     To journey morn by morn,
With gold and frankincense and myrrh,
     Because the Lord was born:
God sent a star to guide them
     And sent a dream to warn.

My life is like their journey,
     Their star is like God’s book;
I must be like those good Wise Men
     With heavenward heart and look:
But shall I give no gifts to God?—
     What precious gifts they took!


Scheme XAXABA XCXCDC DEBEXE DFXFXF
Poetic Form
Metre 0101110 011101 11110101 111111 1111010 010101 11010101 110111 011101001 1101011 1101010 010011 0111110 110111 1101001 010111 1101111 010111 1111110 111111 11111111 11101 11111111 110111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 762
Words 138
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 141
Words per stanza (avg) 34
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Submitted by halel on July 15, 2020

Modified on April 04, 2023

41 sec read
70

Christina Rossetti

Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote various romantic, devotional, and children's poems. more…

All Christina Rossetti poems | Christina Rossetti Books

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