Analysis of To Samuel E. Sewall And Harriet W. Sewall Of Melrose
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
OLOR ISCANUS queries: 'Why should we
Vex at the land's ridiculous miserie?'
So on his Usk banks, in the blood-red dawn
Of England's civil strife, did careless Vaughan
Bemock his times. O friends of many years!
Though faith and trust are stronger than our fears,
And the signs promise peace with liberty,
Not thus we trifle with our country's tears
And sweat of agony. The future's gain
Is certain as God's truth; but, meanwhile, pain
Is bitter and tears are salt: our voices take
A sober tone; our very household songs
Are heavy with a nation's griefs and wrongs;
And innocent mirth is chastened for the sake
Of the brave hearts that nevermore shall beat,
The eyes that smile no more, the unreturning feet!
Scheme | ABCCDDAEFFGHHGII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1110111 110101001 1111100111 1101011101 111111101 11011101101 0011011100 11110110101 0111000101 110111111 110011110101 0101101011 1101010101 01001110101 101111011 011111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 699 |
Words | 127 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 16 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 556 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 124 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 39 sec read
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"To Samuel E. Sewall And Harriet W. Sewall Of Melrose" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23263/to-samuel-e.-sewall-and-harriet-w.-sewall-of-melrose>.
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