The Shadow

John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)



THERE is a shadow on the sunny wall,
Dark and forbidding, like a bode of ill;
Go, drive it thence. Alas, such shadows fall
From real things, nor may be moved at will.

There is a shadow on my heart to-day,
A cloudy grief condensing to a tear:
Alas, I cannot drive its gloom away—
Some sin or sorrow casts the shapeless fear.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

19 sec read
106

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 333
Words 65
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

John Boyle O'Reilly

John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. more…

All John Boyle O'Reilly poems | John Boyle O'Reilly Books

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    "The Shadow" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22076/the-shadow>.

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