Analysis of The Goose-Girl

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



I WANDERED lonely by the sea,
As is my daily use,
I saw her drive across the lea
The gander and the goose.
The gander and the gray, gray goose,
She drove them all together;
Her cheeks were rose, her gold hair loose,
All in the wild gray weather.

'O dainty maid who drive the geese
Across the common wide,
Turn, turn your pretty back on these
And come and be my bride.

I am a poet from the town,
And, 'mid the ladies there,
There is not one would wear a crown
With half your charming air!'

She laughed, she shook her pretty head.
'I want no poet's hand;
Go read your fairy-books,' she said,
'For this is fairy-land.
My Prince comes riding o'er the leas;
He fitly comes to woo,
For I'm a Princess, and my geese
Were poets, once, like you!'


Scheme ABABBCBC DEFE GHGH IJIJFKDK
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 111101 11010101 010001 01000111 1111010 01010111 1001110 11011101 010101 11110111 010111 11010101 010101 11111101 111101 11110101 111101 11110111 111101 111101001 11111 11010011 010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 745
Words 149
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 4, 4, 8
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 139
Words per stanza (avg) 36
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

44 sec read
87

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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