Analysis of Compensation

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



LADY, I see you every day--
More than your other lovers do;
I sit beside you at the Play,
And in the Park I ride with you.

Through picture shows with you I roam
With you I shop and dance and dine;
I know the hours when you're 'at home'
To no one else's knock but mine.

And yet so near and yet so far,
I scarce dare look at you, for fear
I should remark, 'How sweet you are,
How charming, and how very dear!'

I dare not touch that hand of yours,
Or lend my voice a tender tone;
I know my state of grace endures
By fasting and by prayer alone.

But, in my lonely dreamlit nights,
I kiss your hands, your lips, your eyes;
For absence grants me all the rights
Your presence evermore denies.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ
Poetic Form Traditional rhyme
Quatrain 
Metre 101111001 11110101 11011101 00011111 11011111 11110101 110101111 11110111 01110111 11111111 11011111 11001101 11111111 11110101 11111101 11001101 1011011 11111111 11011101 1101001
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 693
Words 142
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 06, 2023

42 sec read
29

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

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