From The Headboard Of A Grave In Paraguay

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



A troth, and a grief, and a blessing,
Disguised them and came this way--,
And one was a promise, and one was a doubt,
And one was a rainy day.

And they met betimes with this maiden,
And the promise it spake and lied,
And the doubt it gibbered and hugged itself,
And the rainy day-- she died.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

18 sec read
90

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 292
Words 60
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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    "From The Headboard Of A Grave In Paraguay" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/20884/from-the-headboard-of-a-grave-in-paraguay>.

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