Analysis of The Point Of View: II

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



In the wood of lost causes, the valley of tears,
Old hopes, like dead leaves, choke the difficult way;
Dark pinions fold dank round the soul, and it hears:
'It is night, it is night, it has never been day;
Thou hast dreamed of the day, of the rose of delight;
It was always dead leaves and the heart of the night.
Drink deep then, and rest, O thou foolish wayfarer,
For night, like a chalice, holds sleep in her hands.'

Then you drain the dark cup, and, half-drugged as you lie
In the arms of despair that is masked as delight,
You thrill to the rush of white wings, and you hear:
'It is day, it is day, it has never been night!
Thou hast dreamed of the night and the wood of lost leaves;
It was always noon, June, and red roses in sheaves,
Unlock the blind lids, and behold the light-bearer
Who holds, like a monstrance, the sun in his hands.'


Scheme XAXABBCD XBCBEECD
Poetic Form
Metre 001111001011 11111101001 1111101011 111111111011 111101101101 11111001101 1110111101 11101011001 111011011111 001101111101 11101111011 111111111011 111101001111 11111011001 010110010110 1110101011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 840
Words 170
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 40
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 320
Words per stanza (avg) 82
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
55

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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