Analysis of Life's Scars
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1855 (Janesville) – 1919
They say the world is round, and yet
I often think it square,
So many little hurts we get
From corners here and there.
But one great truth in life I've found,
While journeying to the West-
The only folks who really wound
Are those we love the best.
The man you thoroughly despise
Can rouse your wrath, 'tis true;
Annoyance in your heart will rise
At things mere strangers do;
But those are only passing ills;
This rule all lives will prove;
The rankling wound which aches and thrills
Is dealt by hands we love.
The choicest garb, the sweetest grace,
Are oft to strangers shown;
The careless mien, the frowning face,
Are given to our own.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
Love does not grow on every tree,
Nor true hearts yearly bloom.
Alas for those who only see
This cut across a tomb!
But, soon or late, the fact grows plain
To all through sorrow's test:
The only folks who give us pain
Are those we love the best.
Scheme | ababcdcD efefgxgx hihijdjd klklmdmD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11011101 110111 11010111 110101 11110111 1100101 01011101 111101 01110001 111111 01001111 111101 11110101 111111 01011101 111111 01010101 111101 01010101 1101101 11011101 110101 011100101 111111 111111001 111101 01111101 110101 11110111 11111 01011111 111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 993 |
Words | 193 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 198 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 48 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 58 sec read
- 353 Views
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"Life's Scars" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10686/life%27s-scars>.
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