Analysis of When Bessie Died
James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)
If from your own the dimpled hands had slipped,
And ne'er would nestle in your palm again;
If the white feet into the grave had tripped--'
When Bessie died--
We braided the brown hair, and tied
It just as her own little hands
Had fastened back the silken strands
A thousand times-- the crimson bit
Of ribbon woven into it
That she had worn with childish pride--
Smoothed down the dainty bow-- and cried
When Bessie died.
When Bessie died--
We drew the nursery blinds aside,
And as the morning in the room
Burst like a primrose into bloom,
Her pet canary's cage we hung
Where she might hear him when he sung--
And yet not any note he tried,
Though she lay listening folded-eyed.
When Bessie died--
We writhed in prayer unsatisfied:
We begged of God, and He did smile
In silence on us all the while;
And we did see Him, through our tears,
Enfolding that fair form of hers,
She laughing back against His love
The kisses had nothing of--
And death to us He still denied,
When Bessie died--
When Bessie died.
Scheme | axa BbccddbbB Bbeeffbb BbggxxhhbBB |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010111 0111001101 1011010111 1101 11001101 11101101 11010101 01010101 11010011 11111101 11010101 1101 1101 110100101 01010001 1101011 011111 11111111 01110111 111100101 1101 1101010 11110111 01011101 011111101 111110 11010111 0101101 01111101 1101 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 981 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 9, 8, 11 |
Lines Amount | 31 |
Letters per line (avg) | 25 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 195 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 47 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 08, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 78 Views
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"When Bessie Died" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/21177/when-bessie-died>.
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