A Story

Harriet Monroe 1860 (Chicago) – 1936 (Arequipa)



He loved her and he was untrue—
Untrue he was, let loved her still;
For out of nether darkness drew
The winds that lashed his wandering will.

She lived in joy all unaware,
In pain and joy his children bore,
While hidden spectres of despair
Drove him to love her more and more.

And when she knew the truth at last,
Suddenly she grew still and strange.
Her rag of haggard youth was cast
Upon the evil winds of change.

She heard, and could not understand;
She paled, and could not bloom again.
So bland death took her by the hand,
Looked in her eyes and made all plain,

Yes, wise death taught her all, and so,
Smiling once more, she kissed and passed.
And he, caught in life's overthrow,
Faced love and death alone at last.

At last, made strong by love and death,
He gave her truth for truth, and knew
Now she had won his perfect faith.
Dying, she doomed him to be true.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
85

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GXGX HEHE XAXA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 876
Words 169
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Harriet Monroe

Harriet Monroe was an American editor, scholar, literary critic, poet and patron of the arts. more…

All Harriet Monroe poems | Harriet Monroe Books

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    "A Story" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/16877/a-story>.

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