Analysis of Lisette and Eileen
Edwin Arlington Robinson 1869 – 1935
“When he was here alive, Eileen,
There was a word you might have said;
So never mind what I have been,
Or anything,—for you are dead.
“And after this when I am there
Where he is, you’ll be dying still.
Your eyes are dead, and your black hair,—
The rest of you be what it will.
“’Twas all to save him? Never mind,
Eileen. You saved him. You are strong.
I’d hardly wonder if your kind
Paid everything, for you live long.
“You last, I mean. That’s what I mean.
I mean you last as long as lies.
You might have said that word, Eileen,—
And you might have your hair and eyes.
“And what you see might be Lisette,
Instead of this that has no name.
Your silence—I can feel it yet,
Alive and in me, like a flame.
“Where might I be with him to-day,
Could he have known before he heard?
But no—your silence had its way,
Without a weapon or a word.
“Because a word was never told,
I’m going as a worn toy goes.
And you are dead; and you’ll be old;
And I forgive you, I suppose.
“I’ll soon be changing as all do,
To something we have always been;
And you’ll be old.… He liked you, too,
I might have killed you then, Eileen.
“I think he liked as much of you
As had a reason to be seen,—
As much as God made black and blue.
He liked your hair and eyes, Eileen.”
Scheme | ABCB DEDE FGFG AHAH IJIJ KLKL MNMN OCOA OAOA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (89%) |
Metre | 11110101 11011111 11011111 1101111 01011111 11111101 11110111 01111111 11111101 01111111 11010111 1101111 11111111 11111111 11111101 01111101 01111101 01111111 11011111 01001101 11111111 11110111 11110111 01010101 01011101 11010111 01110111 01011101 11110111 1101111 01111111 11111101 11111111 11010111 11111101 11110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,296 |
Words | 259 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 102 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 28 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 20, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 91 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Lisette and Eileen" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/9995/lisette-and-eileen>.
Discuss this Edwin Arlington Robinson 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