Analysis of Emily Sparks

Edgar Lee Masters 1868 (Garnett) – 1950 (Elkins Park)



Where is my boy, my boy --
In what far part of the world?
The boy I loved best of all in the school? --
I, the teacher, the old maid, the virgin heart,
Who made them all my children.
Did I know my boy aright,
Thinking of him as a spirit aflame,
Active, ever aspiring?
Oh, boy, boy, for whom I prayed and prayed
In many a watchful hour at night,
Do you remember the letter I wrote you
Of the beautiful love of Christ?
And whether you ever took it or not,
My boy, wherever you are,
Work for your soul's sake,
That all the clay of you, all of the dross of you,
May yield to the fire of you,
Till the fire is nothing but light!...
Nothing but light!


Scheme ABCDEBFGHIJKLMNJJII
Poetic Form
Metre 111111 0111101 0111111001 10100110101 1111110 111111 1011101001 1010010 111111101 0100101011 11010010111 10100111 0101101111 1101011 11111 110111110111 11101011 101011011 1011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 635
Words 135
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 19
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 479
Words per stanza (avg) 133
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 07, 2023

40 sec read
56

Edgar Lee Masters

Edgar Lee Masters was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. more…

All Edgar Lee Masters poems | Edgar Lee Masters Books

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