A Failure
Edith Wharton 1862 (New York City) – 1937 (Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt)
(She Speaks.)
I MEANT to be so strong and true!
The world may smile and question, When?
But what I might have been to you
I cannot be to other men.
Just one in twenty to the rest,
And all in all to you alone, -
This was my dream; perchance 'tis best
That this, like other dreams, is flown.
For you I should have been so kind,
So prompt my spirit to control,
To win fresh vigor for my mind,
And purer beauties for my soul;
Beneath your eye I might have grown
To that divine, ideal height,
Which, mating wholly with your own,
Our equal spirits should unite.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 33 sec read
- 58 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABABCDCD EFEFDGDG |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 547 |
Words | 113 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8 |
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"A Failure" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/9062/a-failure>.
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