A Portrait

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



LIKE the sway of the silver birch in the breeze of dawn
Is her dainty way;
Like the gray of a twilight sky or a starlit lawn
Are her eyes of gray;
Like the clouds in their moving white
Is her breast's soft stir;
And white as the moon and bright
Is the soul of her.

Like murmur of woods in spring ere the leaves be green,
Like the voice of a bird
That sings by a stream that sings through the night unseen,
So her voice is heard.
And the secret her eyes withhold
In my soul abides,
For white as the moon and cold
Is the heart she hides.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

34 sec read
131

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGHGH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 543
Words 113
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

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