Analysis of The ghost Bereft
Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)
THE poor ghost came through the wind and rain
And passed down the old dear road again.
Thin cowered the hedges, the tall trees swayed
Like little children that shrank afraid.
The wind was wild and the night was late
When the poor ghost came to the garden gate;
Dank were the flower-beds, heavy and wet,
The weeds stood up where the rose was set.
The wind was angry, the rain beat sore
When the poor ghost came to its own house-door.
'And shall I find her a-weeping still
To think how alone I lie and chill?
'Or shall I find her happy and warm
With her dear head laid on a new love's arm?
'Or shall I find she has learned to pine
For another's love, and not for mine?
'Whatever chance, I have this to my store,
She is mine, my own, for evermore!'
So the poor ghost came through the wind and rain
Till it reached the square bright window pane.
'Oh! what is here in the room so bright?
Roses and love, and a hid delight?
'What lurks in the silence that fills the room?
A cypress wreath from a dead man's tomb?
'What sleeps? What wakes? And oh! can it be
Her heart that is breaking--and not for me?'
Then the poor ghost looked through the window pane,
Though all the glass was wrinkled with rain.
'Oh, there is light, at the feet and head
Twelve tall tapers about the bed.
'Oh, there are flowers, white flowers and rare,
But not the garland a bride may wear.
'Jasmine white and a white white rose,
But its scent is gone where the lost dream goes.
'Straight lilies laid on the strait white bier--
But the room is empty--she is not here!
'Her body lies here, deserted, cold;
And the body that loved it creeps in the mould.
'Was there ever an hour when my Love, set free,
Would not have hastened and come to me?
'Can the soul that loved mine long ago
Be hence and away, and I not know?
'Oh, then God's judgment is on me sore,
For I have lost her for evermore!'
And the poor ghost fared through the wind and rain
To its own appointed place again.
But up in Heaven, where memories cease
Because the blessed have won to peace,
One pale saint shivered, and closer wound
The shining raiment that wrapped her round.
'Oh, fair is Heaven, and glad am I,
Yet I fain would remember the days gone by.
'The past is veiled, and I may not know,
But I think there was sorrow, long ago;
'The sun of Heaven is warm and bright,
But I think there is rain on the earth to-night.
'O Christ, because of Thine own sore pain
Help all poor souls in the wind and rain.'
Scheme | AB CC DD EE FF GG XX HH FF AA II JJ KK AA LL MM NN OO PP KK QQ FF AB RR SS TT QQ II AA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011110101 011011101 110100111 110101101 011100111 1011110101 1001011001 011110111 011100111 1011111111 011100101 111011101 111101001 1011110111 111111111 101010111 101111111 11111110 1011110101 111011101 111100111 100100101 1100101101 010110111 111101111 0111100111 1011110101 110111011 111110101 11100101 1111011001 110100111 10100111 1111110111 110110111 1011101111 010110101 00101111001 111011011111 111100111 101111101 110010111 111101111 11110110 0011110101 111010101 1101011001 01011111 111100101 01011101 111100111 11110100111 011101111 1111110101 011101101 11111110111 110111111 111100101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,444 |
Words | 479 |
Sentences | 33 |
Stanzas | 29 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 |
Lines Amount | 58 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 64 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 16 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:23 min read
- 31 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The ghost Bereft" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/8958/the-ghost-bereft>.
Discuss this Edith Nesbit poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In