Analysis of These Little Ones

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



'What of the garden I gave?'
God said to me;
'Hast thou been diligent to foster and save
The life of flower and tree?
How have the roses thriven,
The lilies I have given,
The pretty scented miracles that Spring
And Summer come to bring?

'My garden is fair and dear,'
I said to God;
'From thorns and nettles I have kept it clear.
Green-trimmed its sod.
The rose is red and bright,
The lily a live delight;
I have not lost a flower of all the flowers
That blessed my hours.'

'What of the child I gave?'
God said to me;
'The little, little one I died to save
And gave in trust to thee?
How have the flowers grown
That in its soul were sown,
The lovely living miracles of youth
And hope and joy and truth?'

'The child's face is all white,'
I said to God;
'It cries for cold and hunger in the night:
Its little feet have trod
The pavement muddy and cold.
It has no flowers to hold,
And in its soul the flowers you set are dead.'
'Thou fool!' God said.


Scheme aBabccdd eFefgghh aBabccii gFgfjjkk
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011 1111 11110011001 0111001 110101 0101110 0101010011 010111 1101101 1111 1101011111 1111 011101 0100101 111101011010 11110 110111 1111 0101011111 010111 110101 101101 0101010011 010101 011111 1111 1111010001 110111 0101001 1111011 00110101111 1111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 923
Words 198
Sentences 14
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 178
Words per stanza (avg) 47
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
71

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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