Compensation

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)



Why should I keep holiday,
When other men have none?
Why but because when these are gay,
I sit and mourn alone.

And why when mirth unseals all tongues
Should mine alone be dumb?
Ah! late I spoke to silent throngs,
And now their hour is come.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

14 sec read
139

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXAX XBXB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 242
Words 49
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 4, 4

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. more…

All Ralph Waldo Emerson poems | Ralph Waldo Emerson Books

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    "Compensation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/29796/compensation>.

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